Life is tough, so Honglong resorts to performing?

Chapter 100

That night.

When a video recording of a children's theater performance was uploaded to the Magic Crystal network by a busybody, it went viral after several hours, eventually sparking widespread discussion...

The person involved in the incident, the red dragon Loren, was sitting in human form at a table and chairs on the lower level of the Lava Heart, lost in thought.

The blank paper laid out in front of them and the virtual keyboard unfolding on the Magic Crystal Terminal both foreshadowed one thing.

He got a writer's block.

As a paper on a military-grade spell, the difficulty of writing the Shaping Energy Ball far exceeded his expectations.

After obtaining the special website recommendation from the Balrog and completing the online registration and uploading the relevant materials, Loren successfully became an unofficial member of the military-grade spell development team.

As a new registrant, he can download two spell papers for free.

After he publishes his first paper, he can exchange it for another one without any cost, but only once; after that, he has to pay to exchange for it.

Without the slightest hesitation, Loren chose the fifth-level magic of Flame Fusion from Balrog Ellis, as well as the military version of the most classic four-element creation spell that Ellis had mentioned before, as a reference.

Before officially opening the military-grade paper, Loren thought that this thing was no different from the spell papers outside, except for the textual confidentiality that the Balrog specifically mentioned.

After all, it's not like he hasn't written spell papers before.

But after clicking on it, Loren was a little confused.

The paper on elemental synthesis is over 100,000 words long. None of these words mention how to use or construct this spell, nor do they introduce its configuration or nodes. Instead, they use its principles, spell logic, and various tests and references to prove why this spell can exist.

What's absurd is that Loren didn't realize the other person was using filler text after reading the whole thing.

Every case study and test was useful, illustrating the mechanisms and rules of the spell. Every failure was traceable and reproducible. After reading the whole book, he gained a considerable understanding of how to use and construct Flame Fusion, and he found it very enjoyable.

He was confident that he might have made further progress in the stability and sustainability of the spell.

However, relying solely on the paper without configuration diagrams and related node diagrams, he felt he still couldn't reproduce the other party's flame fusion on his own.

Theory and practice are two different things, especially today when magical theories are highly developed.

Perhaps, with enough knowledge accumulated, I might one day be able to build my own Flame Fusion?
Loren thought to himself.

He then looked at another spell he had downloaded, the Four Elements Creation Spell.

That was an even more substantial book, practically an entire book of spell concepts, with a whopping four or five hundred thousand words. Loren only read the beginning before tossing it aside.

These things made Loren realize that military-grade spell papers were completely different from general spell papers from the outside world.

To say they are worlds apart would be an exaggeration, but there are indeed differences in their core objectives.

His previous publication of Spell Echoes in the psionic journal, which was also a spell paper on the Mage Kingdom forum, had the core purpose of teaching everyone how to use a new spell that was not in the spell library.

He can upload the node diagram and related configurations, and then explain which configuration comes from which place.

As long as the reviewers can replicate it, there's no problem.

Simple, convenient, and easy to understand.

The papers on military magic are more subtle.

It only needs to exist in the corresponding spell principles and logic to pass the initial review, and the reviewers cannot obtain the configuration and node diagram to construct the spell themselves.

In the world of Ellen, the distinction between civilian and military types is completely different from that in the previous world.

Civilian applications require usability and versatility, while military applications demand pushing the limits and seeking the ultimate output capability of an individual.

This may be due to the different fundamental sources of power in the world.

Both proposed systemic warfare and both moved towards modern civilization, but whether the power belongs to oneself or to the group determines the difference in their underlying architecture.

Now, a problem has arisen that stands in Loren's way.

At only twenty years old, he doesn't yet have enough knowledge of the principles and logic of magic, nor does he have enough resources and money to conduct various experiments on this magic and explain the results and phenomena.

Therefore, Loren Caven...

He was at a loss for words when it came to describing his newly developed spells.

"But I get 5,000 yuan every time I download something! And the big shots here are basically never short of money!"

Looking at the prices and profit-sharing arrangements of the papers, Loren was very tempted.

The thought that if he could just produce such an article, and someone downloaded it, he could make a fortune, filled Loren with excitement.

"Never mind, I can write out the new version of the general spell Echo first."

After much deliberation, Loren decided to write something else to clear his head.

"When I was building the prototype of the magic crystal heart last time, I drew inspiration from when I was fighting myself, and activated two sound sources simultaneously to create multiple echo waves, thus increasing its power..."

"With the new trump card of the Shape-Shaping Energy Ball, the identity of a psionicist will no longer need to be a trump card, but can exist as a realistic alternate account..."

Loren pondered and began to replicate the echo waves from that battle.

With the help of the prototype of the Magic Crystal Heart, after several attempts and adjustments, Loren finally reproduced it and figured out the layout of its node diagram.

Then, Loren began contacting forgers to fabricate specific information about his identity as a psionicist.

Loren had already planned out this character's identity: a special half-dragon from Frostdragon City, a dragonblood sorcerer, and someone with a special telepathic connection to his beast brother from the same mother...

This explains both why he was unwilling to reveal his identity before and why he could use abilities like Dragon Roar and Dragon Might.

Anyway, there are plenty of freaks and oddities born from the mixing of white dragon bloodlines among the various dragon blood families in Frost Dragon City, so one more won't make a difference.

With this white dragon psionicist disguise, his future actions will be much more convenient.

It's just...

"You're going to charge me over 50,000 for a fake identity that I won't show my face in Frostdragon City? I'm not actually going to use it to gain favor in Frostdragon City!"

In both group chat and private chat, Loren began to haggle with the guy who was making outrageous demands for a fake identity.

"Don't think I don't know the market rate; similar identities cost at most 30,000!"

"Then go find someone else. Anyway, this is the price I offer. Take it or leave it."

"Forty-five thousand, this is the final price."

"Alright, it's a deal. You pay half the deposit first. It's really not easy to make money off you. I'll send you your detailed identity information tomorrow."

After some haggling, the two parties reached an agreement.

Loren then transferred the deposit to the other party.

Then, Loren sighed and typed the title of his new paper: "Some New Discoveries and Discussions on the Sixth-Level Spells, Mind Shout, and Echo."

Following this, Loren began writing an abstract based on the content and the paper he would be writing later:

The author's previous version of the Mind Dragon Shout Echo spell relied on the reflection and superposition of a single psychic shockwave within a specific psionic structure. Its power ceiling was limited by the intensity of the initial sound source and the guiding efficiency of the resonant cavity. This study, by introducing a dual-point synchronous sound source, observed a unique cooperative resonance phenomenon. Experiments show…

Inside the Lava Heart arena, only the sound of the red dragon Loren typing on his keyboard remained.

As Loren buried himself in typing, a new trend was emerging on the Magic Crystal Network.

Initially, it was just a picture taken from the entire stage play, probably showing the red dragon walking around and searching with exaggerated, arrogant steps.

The scene was both arrogant and had a unique, quirky quality.

Subsequently, in the picture, the red dragon's hand was photoshopped with an arrow with a heart on it, in line with its previous role as a mascot for continuing the family line, and a related caption was added.

Ah, Red Dragon, I've come to continue your destiny!
As these somewhat bizarre and amusing pictures spread rapidly on the Magic Crystal Network, coupled with yesterday's story, the red dragon at the Emerald Leaf Zoo finally began to gain widespread recognition.

Of course, it inevitably became a comedic character as well.

Various fan-made creations and photoshopped images began to appear, and the video from the children's theater also began to spread widely. The story and ideas expressed in it also attracted the attention of some people.

What are your thoughts on the new children's play at the Green Leaf Rare Animals Zoo?

In an internal group chat of the publicity department of Cuiye City, a leader uploaded this video and asked for comments.

"I think it's very good. He portrayed the arrogance of the superior unicorn, the industrious yet powerless goblins, the gnolls breaking stereotypes to pursue art, and the goblin using modern technology to repel the powerful red dragon..."

"For children, this story is simple and easy to understand, without too much preaching, and tells a story about progress and unity, a theme of our time..."

Someone, trying to decipher the leader's meaning, made this remark.

"I also think this is great, and I think we should promote it."

"Will the official streaming cause any problems? The subsequent plot hasn't been confirmed yet, what if something goes wrong?"

Some people have raised questions.

"I will take full responsibility if any problems arise."

……

Thus, once the bullet left the barrel, what it ultimately hit and what impact and result it caused became irrelevant to Loren, the one who fired the shot.

The next day.

It's Monday again, and Loren is on holiday.

Loren, who finished the first draft of the Echo paper last night, plans to go to the library of a nearby university today to look up information, complete the structure of the paper, and then submit it for publication.

Loren searched for part-time job chat groups at nearby universities, arranged a time with the students there, and prepared to rent a mage's student ID.

Then, he saw that the other party sent him an emoji, which was an arrogant red dragon holding a student ID card and handing it to him.

And that red dragon was clearly Loren himself.

Loren was stunned for a moment when he saw this. Then he started searching for red dragon memes. Seeing the huge number of them that had popped up overnight made his veins throb.

"I'm already this popular and no one's buying my image rights to go and sue those who make memes. Do these people even have any business sense?!"

Loren was dissatisfied.

Now that his new internet identity has been established, he can only go with the flow.

In his previous life, he was a celebrity with a rebellious streak who clashed with netizens. Two and a half years before he transmigrated, it was still a Kun year.

But if he doesn't confront them directly, it seems he won't benefit from this inexplicable popularity. Will these people who use his memes still come to the zoo to buy his merchandise?

That's hard to say.

After pondering for a long time, and drawing on his past life, Loren vaguely felt that he had grasped something.

Perhaps unintentionally, like those internet celebrities from my past life, I have inexplicably become a strange symbol and expression, spreading rapidly along with the meme culture.

The time when these demons return to the abyss to wage a bloody battle is also the time when internet users unleash their creativity.

He became the object of creative expression, regardless of what kind of dragon he was, what his personality was, or what expectations he had.

He carries the burden of deconstruction, meme culture, and online memory...

"This is a trend brought about by the times, and I have really been lifted up by it."

Loren murmured.

He had thought before that he might be able to seize the opportunity of the times, but he really didn't expect that the opportunity would develop and change in this way.

"Now that the wind is blowing, I should make some money."

Golden flames ignited in the red dragon's eyes, a thirst for wealth.

For the sake of his personal image, Loren certainly can't personally get involved, but he can arrange for a company to generate buzz. If the druids won't do it, can't the rest of you do it?
What happened to the people who did this before?

Oh, the boss is a devil, he might have wiped out the druids in one fell swoop?
That's all right now.

Loren sighed, once again confirming the interconnectedness of the world.

After careful consideration, I decided to put all of that aside for now and focus on finishing and publishing the paper on Echo.

He gathered the necessary items and then headed towards the zoo's cold storage.

He needed to find some meat to thaw first, and then prepare a good breakfast for himself.

He spent most of last night writing his thesis, and he was exhausted.

As Loren, slightly weary, used magic to heat up the enormous amount of meat chops he had taken from the cold storage—enough for a dozen adult humans to have a hearty meal—and began to enjoy his breakfast, the online account of the Emerald Leaf Rare Zoo also went live and began operating, riding the wave of popularity.

A new post has quietly appeared on the official Magic Crystal Network account of the zoo.

The dynamic content is the widely circulated photoshopped image of a red dragon holding a heart-shaped arrow, with the caption:

"Hey, your spark for a new romance has arrived!"

This Sunday, Red Dragon's new children's theater performance, Chapter Two, will be staged on time! Come see what surprises Mr. Spark will bring this time!
This post attracted a lot of attention as soon as it was published, with various photoshopped images related to Loren appearing below. However, the most important thing is that the official account of Cuiye City Culture and Tourism also reposted it.

Comments below the post grew rapidly, and the zoo's popularity soared along with the wave of attention.

Loren, immersed in a sea of ​​papers and the satisfaction of breakfast, was completely unaware of all this.

After all, compared to the completed spell paper on Echo, the military-grade paper on shaping energy balls was giving him a much bigger headache.

(End of this chapter)