Industrial Revolution of the Mage Lords

Chapter 340 Romeo and Juliet

It was late at night and the lights were on in the huge city hall building, only Reiner's general manager's office was still brightly lit.

The soldier on duty stood awkwardly at the office door and reported cautiously, "Master General, Lord Ash insisted on seeing you at this time, and the Lord gave him free access to all departments and institutions in the territory, so I can only..."

Reiner waved his hand to indicate that it was okay, and the blushing guard retreated with a sense of relief.

Then, looking at the excited Ash, he sighed and said, "Mr. Lambert, please trust my memory as an alchemical creation. There is absolutely no southern noble lady named Juliet in your lord's territory, nor is there an orc slave named... Romeo."

Ash's eyes widened as he pressed on, "Impossible! You must have forgotten something, or perhaps you've lost track of the people who died in the territory. They both committed suicide out of love. Has no one in the territory ever discussed this tragedy caused by their different statuses?"

Reiner closed the workbook beside him and said woodenly, "I can remember the deceased very clearly. Besides... since the establishment of the territory, the information of newlyweds has been strictly recorded. There are many cases of love between people from the Southern Territory and people from the Wasteland, but there has never been a case of people being unable to get married due to geographical differences. The laws of the territory clearly stipulate that the people of the territory have absolute freedom of choice in marriage."

He paused, stood up and took out a thick booklet from the filing cabinets that covered an entire wall behind him. He accurately flipped to the part about marriage registration and patiently pushed it in front of Ash.

"Please look here. This is a list of marriages between residents of the Southern Territory and local wastelanders. There are indeed a few marriages between humans and orcs. A typical example is the marriage between Ironhead, the deputy captain of Lord Harvey's personal guard, and Lady Dina, a wastelander. However, they were married publicly several months ago. I attended their wedding. Both families get along well, and the couple are very close. There were no unexpected tragedies caused by family obstruction."

"Is there really nothing else?"

"There really are none left. They are all in this register."

Ash frowned and thought for a while, then muttered, "Is this really just a bizarre love story someone made up?"

Reiner sighed and said softly, "Why don't you ask Master Harvey in person? After all, he was the one who gave you the manuscript. He should know the whole story best."

Ash nodded in agreement and was about to get up and leave when Reiner quickly added, "There's no need to disturb your master's rest at this time. It's late at night."

Ash glanced at Reiner, who was made entirely of metal, with a strange expression on his face and muttered, "Don't you alchemical creatures need to rest and sleep?"

Reiner was stunned for a moment, then clenched his fists and said woodenly, "If there's nothing particularly urgent next time, you don't have to come to me so late. It would be best if you just pretend I'm sleeping."

……

"What? There's no Romeo and Juliet? You made this all up?"

Harvey rolled his eyes and said speechlessly, "What else? You ran to the city hall to find Reina to check the population register in the middle of the night. You must be crazy." Ash collapsed on the sofa dejectedly, muttering, "It's a pity that I was kept awake all night by this touching love story, and it turned out to be another prank of yours..."

What a prank! This is Shakespeare's classic love tragedy!
Harvey curled his lips and said, "Why? Do you think the story I wrote is too vulgar?"

"Vulgar? I should say shocking, right? I know it's impossible for a human noble to fall in love with an orc slave. If this story spread in the southern border, I'm afraid the nobles would denounce it as heresy."

Harvey chuckled and asked pointedly, "What about you? After reading this story, do you also find it hard to accept and unreasonable?"

Ash was speechless for a long moment, hesitating, "It's not that hard to accept... After all, this story is so brilliantly written, with such twists and turns, it's gripping. And when the two decided to commit suicide in defiance of public opinion and family opposition, it actually left me feeling uneasy for a long time."

Harvey smiled inwardly, this was exactly what he wanted to achieve.

The story of Romeo and Juliet was magically changed, and the localized adaptation was used to deepen the audience's sense of involvement. It was not enough to just describe the touching and sincere love between the common people and the nobles. Some topics about the background and identity differences between the people of the southern border and the people of the wilderness must also be incorporated. Finally, the point of intensification of the conflict that was obstructed by the church was mixed in with some private opinions. It was simply perfect.

As the population of the territory gradually expands, it becomes increasingly common for the residents who migrated from the southern border and the local wastelanders to dislike each other. It can be clearly seen from the marriage market that it is difficult for these two groups of residents to integrate with each other and coexist peacefully.

In short, it is normal for the North and the South to band together and exclude each other. Although serious "regional discrimination" and violent conflicts have not yet occurred, Harvey is also a little wary of this trend.

If he could use fictional stories to widely spread throughout the territory and reshape people's perceptions, easing the confrontation and conflicts between the two sides, while also deeply establishing the image of the church as the only villain in people's minds, it would be a win-win propaganda method for Harvey.

"Let's not talk about the authenticity and plausibility of the story for now, Ash. I know you have always had some experience in theatrical performances. Are you interested in adapting this story into a play, then forming a local troupe to perform publicly in my territory?"

Ash was stunned for a moment, looking at Harvey in disbelief. After confirming that he was not joking, he jumped up excitedly, "Harvey, you are finally interested in these elegant arts? Of course I do!"

Art collection, appreciation, opera and dance, and drama performance have always been Ash's greatest hobbies. After leaving his family's ancestral home in Daes, he thought that he would be in a miserable situation of constant exile and hiding for the rest of his life, and would never have the chance to come into contact with these things again. He could only silently take some of his most beloved art collections with him, hiding this hobby in his heart and occasionally taking it out to appreciate it.

"Don't get too excited just yet. This story is just a rough draft I casually wrote, and it's not some elegant piece to be performed for the aristocrats and wealthy merchants," Harvey warned cautiously. "My expectations aren't high. I just want the local people to understand it and for the story to be told fluently and clearly."

He paused, scratching his head. "Um... I think you first need to find some people in the territory who have experience in drama or theater performances. There should be many such people among the refugees from the southern border. I'll grant you a special grant to set up a troupe. Please carefully select the candidates you like."

Ash grinned and said, "And the troupe's expenses? I thought you wanted me to pay for it myself. Things are really different now, Harvey. In the past, you were known for being stingy!"

(End of this chapter)