Dragon, choose cultural victory to make money

Chapter 217 Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence
Astrid observed the strange city through the window of the carriage.

Judging from the smoothness of the streets, the Twin Towers City should be a more advanced city than the Holy City.

There was hardly any bumps when the carriage was driving on it.

However, the buildings on both sides of the street are not as neat and tidy as those in the holy city, and even the style is not uniform. There are buildings of various regional styles.

This is the biggest feature of Shuangta City. Immigrants from all over the world gathered here and brought with them local customs and habits.

It also brings about strange phenomena of discrimination.

The "locals" look down on outsiders.

Although theoretically, there are almost no locals in Shuangta City. After all, more than a hundred years ago, it was just a small town with a population of a few hundred people.

It has developed at a rapid pace in less than two centuries.

First a mine was discovered, and then a mechanical genius emerged among the miners' children and improved the steam engine.

Steamships were able to use the deepwater port outside the city, making the city an important trade center in the South.

The only problem with development at this time was that the mining family that arrived here first controlled almost all the resources in the city and was omnipotent.

Then a red dragon descended from the sky and destroyed that family...

By the way, he also made a new star in the magic world, Sauron, famous.

The three elements for the development of Twin Towers City are geography, technology, and Drogo’s presence.

Today, it is home to millions of residents.

Essentially, they are all outsiders, the only difference is that they arrived earlier or later.

So there is no reason for discrimination. Perhaps deep down in your heart you are discriminating against your former self.

In order to get rid of the "dishonorable" background of their hometown and eager to integrate into the local community, they choose to attack people with the same background as themselves to show that they are different.

We are all at the bottom of society, yet we still have to rank people among the lower class.

In a sense, it is also a token of allegiance.

However, these people do not dare to discriminate against all outsiders equally. When someone like Astrid comes, she will not feel discriminated against at all.

"The people in Twin Towers are so friendly." Astrid exclaimed as she got off the carriage.

Along the way, everyone who saw her greeted her with a smile, and some even stopped to greet her and watched her leave.

“I thought I would be looked down upon.”

Because the goddess had been out of contact for a long time, the status of the saint in the church continued to decline, causing her to feel a little inferior.

Even though my status is very different now, the habits I have developed over the years are still hard to change.

“Oh, no one will dare to look down on you now,” Grandma Lindsay said with a smile, “Even if they don’t know who you are, they can recognize a Paladin.”

Just as she said, two paladins followed closely behind the two men. This was the result of Astrid's strong request to reduce the guards, otherwise there would be two rows behind them.

As members of the church, they naturally have some privileges. Paladins can enter the performance venue with weapons without undergoing security checks.

The concert was held outdoors, on the beach, which was a bold attempt by the Drogo Group.

The main reason was the presence of Rowling’s band, and they were afraid that the audience would be able to get in but not leave during the indoor performance.

"Here is your coat, please take it," the staff member held out a few pieces of clothing, "remember to return it to us after the show."

Astrid reached out to catch it, but almost dropped it. Several coats plus one piece weighed at least ten pounds.

"What is this?" she asked in confusion. She had originally thought that it was a coat provided because the weather was getting colder and they were worried that it would be cold at night, but this weight was obviously not enough for use in Twin Towers City.

"The last show today will cause the temperature on site to drop sharply, so you need to keep extra warm to avoid any health problems," the staff member replied.

"Come, please follow me, I will take you to the box."

Although it was an outdoor venue, Drogo still set up a temporary box.

It reflects uniqueness and is a basic need for the local wealthy people.

The box was relatively simple compared to the one in the theater, with only a set of sofas, a table, complimentary drinks, a fence, and no ceiling.

However, the location is at the front of the audience seats, with white, fine sand under your feet.

The show hadn't started yet and Astrid was observing her surroundings curiously.

The nobles here are not only humans. Judging from the situation at the scene, there are also elves, dwarves, gnomes, even orcs, and drow. The Twin Towers City is indeed a magical city where so many races can coexist peacefully.

In the box on the right sat a red dragon, a lady who looked elegant and graceful, and a child.

What a strange combination.

The kid was staring at them so hard that Astrid suspected there was something on her face.

"Hello, little one." She tried to greet him.

However, the "little friend" ignored her and instead loudly asked the dragon beside him.

"Wow, what kind of construct is that! So cool! Drogo, I want this, why didn't you tell me when you released a new product?"

"New product, you big-headed ghost!" Drogo slapped Doudou on the head with his claws. "That's the equipment of the church's paladin. You want to take it away yourself?"

Drogo, this dragon is Drogo?

Astrid had not expected to meet this person of the church's focus so soon.

"He's still young, don't hurt him." Astrid said worriedly.

"It's okay, don't worry, the child is strong and can't be hurt. Why don't you try it too, it can relieve stress." Zhuo Ge handed Doudou over with one claw.

"Drogo! I'm not done with you!" Doudou protested with his teeth bared.

"No, thank you." Astrid refused with a forced smile.

It’s so strange, the Twin Tower City is really so strange, so this is the outside world?

Out of a sense of justice, she wanted to rescue the "child" who was being abused.

"It's okay, don't worry about them." Grandma Lindsay said suddenly.

"It's okay, is it really okay?" Astrid asked in disbelief.

"Trust grandma, it's really okay," Grandma Lindsay patted Astrid's hand, "Just watch the show, the concert is about to begin."

As the president of the drama guild, Grandpa Carina was invited to open the show. Holding a wooden stick, he walked to the small stage in front of the audience and knocked it three times.

This is a common practice before a theater performance begins, reminding the audience to be quiet.

However, today's audience was completely unable to keep quiet and they couldn't help but exclaim.

"Wow--"

"Oh my God!"

“The stage is in the sea?”

Amid exclamations, a stage rose from under the sea until it was slightly above sea level.

Several teleportation lights flashed, and a group of actors were teleported onto the stage.

If viewed from a distance, it looks like the actors are standing directly on the sea water.

This new creation of the Drama Guild's stage design department is purely a flex of muscle.

Ever since the drama guild separated the stage department, it no longer designs entirely according to the requirements of the troupe, but has a high degree of autonomy. All kinds of magical stage mechanical structures have emerged.

The first program was a selection of classic operas performed by the deputy director and his opera troupe.

After a few verses, Astrid clapped softly.

The technical level is passable, but just average, nothing special.

She probably wouldn't choose this mentor.

While Astrid was watching the show, she was also choosing a mentor for herself on the show.

Not only does the tutor select the students, it is actually a two-way selection process.

The next person to come on stage was Gerda, who was dressed in the costume from "Frozen". Now she basically wears this image permanently when attending events, and she also sang a song from the soundtrack of Magic.

A masterpiece means that a person can make a living from it for the rest of his life.

"Frozen" clearly reaches this standard.

And the second part is currently being prepared for filming, so Gerda will soon have a masterpiece that will last her two lifetimes.

The singing was average, but Astrid was keenly aware of many minor flaws.

It's impressive enough for ordinary audiences, but not good enough in the eyes of her, a singer who has been practicing since childhood.

This tutor may not be as good as her.

She doesn't know yet that for a mentor on a variety show, the most important thing is not whether he is professional or not, but whether he is famous or not.

Just when she was feeling a little disappointed, Rock and Roll from the Underground Abandoned scared her.

It turns out that songs can be sung like this.

The lead singer's singing sounded like a saw cutting wood. I couldn't tell if it was intentional or just the way his voice sounded. Wouldn't singing like this really ruin his voice?

Astrid believes that as a singer, protecting her voice is of utmost importance.

What's more, the songs they sang were weird. She couldn't even tell whether they were good or bad. They sounded a bit like noise to her.

But I dare not say it.

Because the other audience members at the scene were extremely excited, many of them left their seats and danced wildly. It seemed that they liked this song very much.

After three performances, Astrid began to wonder if she had chosen the wrong show.

The styles of these mentors are obviously very incompatible with hers.

If people in the outside world like songs like this the most, then she won't get much recognition from the audience.

As she hesitated, she suddenly felt a chill that made her shiver. "Hurry up and put on your clothes." Grandma Lindsay hurriedly handed her the coat.

The paladin beside him drew his sword and seemed to have discovered some danger and went into alert.

"Why is it so cold all of a sudden?"

"It's necromancy. Also, is this magical snowfall?" Grandma Lindsay rubbed the snowflakes that fell on her hands curiously, and the tiny ice crystals melted in her hands.

Gradually, goose feather-like snow fell from the sky.

The climate in the Twin Towers City makes it almost impossible for natural snow to fall, and the audience was even more interested in the sudden appearance of snow than the performance on stage.

So much so that when the gigantic spider elf appeared on the stage with an entire band of skeleton soldiers, not many people were surprised.

When everyone was concentrating on looking at the magic circle in the sky.

The cold and lonely piano music sounded, simple and lively, striking into Astrid's heart one by one.

Even just the prelude had already conquered the young saint.

As the performance progressed, the scene was enveloped by an indescribable atmosphere.

The melody seems sad, revealing helplessness and sadness.

But I am not desperate, I can vaguely feel the power of hope.

It seems like there is something beautiful that encourages people in such a sad environment.

The mixture of sadness and inspiration makes this song sound like it is struggling, but the struggle is not intense. It is like telling calmly that let all conflicts go.

Just like snowflakes that fall gently and melt in the wind.

Astrid suddenly felt like crying as she thought of the isolated years she had spent in the holy city of the church.

There was nothing, no response from the goddess, and the saint's existence was worthless. Although she was still alive, it was obvious that fate had already announced her end.

Waiting for death to come in a corner where no one cares.

What a sad life.

But at least she still had music, which she created for herself while hiding in a small room, supporting her from living a completely muddled life.

She didn't know the composer or performer of the piece, but through the melody, she seemed to feel what they felt.

Excellent.

Astrid's eyes became determined. She also wanted to create such a work.

She gets to choose this mentor.

Even if this mentor is the legendary spider elf, the most brutal hunter in the Underdark.

She believed that the elf who could play such a melody would not be an unforgivable criminal.

Of course, this is just her wishful thinking. Artistic level has never been linked to character.

Many of the great artists in history have been scumbags of low moral character.

And Rowling also has a grudge against the church.

The Skeleton Army Orchestra performed the ensemble part perfectly. It was not as emotional as the solo, but it was so seamless and precise that it didn't seem like a performance. The coordination was so close that it seemed as if only one musician was playing the whole time.

Astrid had guessed that part right.

The entire orchestra does not actually have the ability to perform, they just follow the spell execution steps set by Rowling.

In a sense, it's similar to playing an accompaniment.

It just looks like a live performance by the skeleton soldiers, but in fact, it is played the same way every time. It is a carbon-based mechanical instrument.

The song ended and the snow stopped.

There was no snow left on the beach, as it all melted into snow water. The skeleton soldiers left and the temperature rose accordingly.

It seemed like it was just a dream.

Rowling stood up from the piano and walked to the front of the stage. This notorious legend gave a standard farewell ceremony.

However, there was no applause in response to her, only silence.

The audience has not yet recovered from the atmosphere just now.

There was nearly half a minute of silence, and Drogo almost couldn't hold back and led the applause.

He was afraid that the drow queen would hold a grudge against the audience, so he arranged for the drow to knock on the door in the middle of the night.

You're the only one who didn't applaud after listening to it, right?

This is Zhuoer’s specialty.

When the awkward atmosphere was about to reach its critical point, Astrid stood up.

With tears in her eyes, she applauded vigorously.

Soon others also reacted and the beach was suddenly filled with applause.

Astrid decided that if the spider elf didn't choose her, she would rather not continue to participate.

The applause lasted for nearly ten minutes before it gradually stopped.

A rare smile appeared on Rowling's face. No performer does not need recognition from others.

In her excitement, Rowling even wanted to perform an encore, but was stopped by Drogo's eyes.

Then summon those skeletons, the scene was so hot and cold that all the audience caught a cold.

Then the other three mentors and other musicians took the stage together to close the concert.

By the way, I also gave the show a little promotion.

On the way out, Astrid flipped through the program list. She wanted to find the name of the song and download it to her player on the Drogo music platform.

Then every night when I felt down, I would hide under the covers and listen secretly.

After learning about the existence of music platforms and players, she immediately became a member.

The first impulse purchase in my life.

"Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence? Is that a carol?"

The church also has Christmas, which is the day when the goddess of magic was born. It is a very serious holiday. Of course, there are hymns with similar themes, but they sound very different from the one today.

"I really want to learn from the creator of this piece of music," Astrid said with emotion.

She also wanted to create such a hymn.

"Oh, girl, you can't do that. Didn't you see that the person playing the piano has eight legs? It must be because of this piece of music. There might be something wrong with it. What if he learns bad things?"

Suddenly, an aunt's voice came from behind.

Astrid turned around and looked, but didn't recognize the other person.

There was a young girl next to the aunt, probably her daughter, who was anxious to cover her mother's mouth.

"Oh, please stop talking and read less of the messy stuff on the forum. I'm sorry, my mom is just like that and she means no harm." The daughter apologized repeatedly.

The mother showed off her social skills like crazy. "Tell me what's wrong. How can a daughter not let her mother speak? This is my daughter, Elsa Stone, who holds an important position in the Drogo Group."

“I don’t hold a high position.”

Aisha regretted bragging about herself to her mother in the letter, and now she praises her daughter to everyone she meets.

Mom isn't embarrassed, she's embarrassed.

"I see you are from another place and came to Shuangta City as well. Let's keep in touch in the future."

"mom!"

"I'm helping you expand your network, don't you appreciate it!"

"Okay." Astrid agreed naturally. She liked such enthusiastic people.

"No, oh, sorry to bother you."

Aisha pushed her mother away noisily.

I originally took my parents to Shuangta City for a trip. We were having a great time on the first day, but conflicts began to emerge on the second day, and on the third day we started to get tired of each other.

"Look at you, you have no manners at all. How are you going to find a partner in the future? When I was your age, I already had your brother." Mom continued to complain.

"I'm not in a hurry. My brother isn't married anyway."

"You are not anxious, but I am. His mind is full of books. You can't learn from him. How about this, I will do something big, and you go to meet the little son of your aunt Daisy."

"Is there any connection between these two?" Aisha was shocked. She couldn't follow her mother's logic at all.

"Let's put it this way. I'll also participate in Feilin's Good Song. If I advance, you can go..."

"Okay, okay, just stop nagging me." Elsa chose to compromise.

He said he couldn't communicate it to his mother.

Anyway, in her opinion, there was no way her mother would advance to the show.

I don't have to go meet that person's son.

My mother usually just sings folk songs at most. She can’t play any musical instruments and can’t even read music scores.

Now that Elsa has been trained by Drogo, she can read music a little.

Do you still want to advance to the next round with such a high elimination rate?

Impossible, absolutely impossible.

Although she felt a little uneasy, Elsa still convinced herself.

(End of this chapter)