Chapter 141 Opera

  Raiden Cliff's reputation has already spread far and wide, and most of the people in the two countries adjacent to Eran have learned that there is a city built by demons in Eran, which is developing at an astonishing speed. Recently, it was even reported that several small towns around it had merged to form what is called the New Federation of Eran.

  This made Thundercliff an object of attention for many forces at the time. However, what Thundercliff did was not inappropriate in any way. The establishment of the new federation was also decided by a vote of the city councils, which did not violate any traditional laws of Eran. It can only be said that this is Thundercliff's diplomatic victory, and it has made the council members of these cities inclined towards him.

  In the economically and culturally prosperous Thunder Bluff, all sorts of new and curious things that had swept through the entire city were also being taken by merchants to spread outward. The ball games of Thunder Bluff had already been recognized throughout Azeroth, even the people of Mulgore and Gadgetzan had heard a little about them. Some young nobles who liked trendy activities had already begun to form their own teams and build specialized venues for competition.

  But all these were still the privileges of the nobles, and those specially built venues would not be used by ordinary people. Most ordinary people in the city only knew that there was such a thing, but did not understand the specific rules and equipment needed. If ball games were only the privilege of a few people, then the new play of Thunder Cliff was much better.

  Some smart businessmen who had returned from Eran and seen these plays in the theaters opened by Thundercliff in other cities of Eran immediately plagiarized those good-looking stories, without even changing the names of the main characters. In this culturally barren continent where people were not yet aware of protecting their cultural rights, as long as they knew the general content of a story, they could turn it into their own tool for making money.

  These novel play performances had a significant impact on the opera that was originally popular in Zhongyuan. The play, as its name suggests, is a drama of ordinary dialogue, with no technical requirements other than necessary acting skills. Actors speak and act on stage just like they do in everyday life, making it more relatable to the daily lives of common people, and thus more welcomed and loved by the masses. Moreover, the stories designed by Niu Touren himself were also unprecedented in Zhongyuan.

  As a traditional opera of the Central Plains, it has always been a favorite of the nobility and wealthy merchants. It requires actors to have good vocal skills and techniques, and in terms of performance form, it is not as casual as spoken drama. In many cases, the performance is too artistic, and without special research, one may not even understand what the actors are trying to portray.

  New Peking Opera gained huge popularity and success after it first appeared in the cities of Central Plains. Although common people did not have much money, they made up for it with their large numbers. By adopting open-air performances in public squares, it allowed the maximum number of audience to enter the venue to watch the performance. Even if each person only paid a small and affordable fee, merchants could still make a fortune from it.

  Some families are happy, some families worry. Although the performance of plays is currently only facing ordinary people, in the future one day they will enter the theater and impact the opera that originally existed. The opera actors dislike those who perform plays because of their own interests, calling them a group of clowns trying to get on stage.

  However, the success of spoken drama was not to be ignored, and even these great opera composers recognized by the nobles could not stop the rolling wheels of spoken drama. In order to save face, a Carthaginian opera troupe decided to go to Elan, the birthplace of spoken drama, to conquer that monster with their most exquisite skills, as if to prove that opera was not outdated.

  In the brightly lit Thundercliff Theater, the three-tiered theater was completely filled. In the central box on the third tier, Mo Yan pulled out a chair for Emily with gentlemanly manners. Wearing a purple long evening dress, Emily smiled and sat down in the opened chair, such thoughtfulness was not characteristic of Sart people.

  "I've never seen an opera from the Central Plains country before, and I don't know if it's the same as what I think it is." Mo Yan sat down in a specially made giant seat and smiled at Emily: "By the way... this evening dress suits you very well, I had it made according to a perfect figure, didn't expect it to fit you so well when you put it on."

  "Thank you." Emily's face turned slightly red as she said, "But it's not because of my figure, but because your design is exquisite. This kind of clothes would look good on anyone who wears them." Such a sincere compliment would make any woman feel happy, let alone the woman being praised had a crush on the one giving the compliment.

  A maid-costumed attendant pushed a small cart to the side, which contained wine chilled with ice cubes, some exquisitely cut snacks and fruits, and some serverware such as hot and cold towels. This was the best box in the theater. Whether it was the appearance and training of the attendants, or the location and decoration of the box, or all the necessary services that could be thought of, everything was available here, and the cost of such service was also the most expensive.

  Even so, the booking was scheduled for next month. In order to accommodate the sudden whim of Niu Touren, the theater had to pay a substantial breach of contract fee. Niu Touren did not use his own privileges. As the controller of Lei Ting Ya, he needs to pay attention to many aspects. Now is the initial stage of the new federation, and Moyan, who has not yet gained stable power, cannot leave any handles, otherwise, the Party Guard would have to make some people disappear.

  The opera began soon, and the troupe of actors who had come from afar at no small risk performed freely on the exquisitely decorated stage. The special singing style and acting movements were unprecedented in Mo Yan's eyes. The content of the performance also showed that a lot of thought had been put into it, telling the story of two opposing families, a pair of lovers supporting each other to finally come together.

  Although the ending of the story is a bit clichéd, the plot can also be said to be thrilling and ups and downs. The two-hour performance brought the audience in attendance along with the plot, either laughing or exclaiming in surprise. This traditional performance, which has been developed for some years in mainland China, still has many merits.

  "What a wonderful performance." Emily put down the small, golden telescope with a long handle in her hand and smiled at the Minotaur beside her: "But I like this thing you invented even more. At such a height, it's amazing that we can see the stage so clearly, just as if it were right before our eyes."

  "Watching a play with binoculars, the principle is not difficult." Mo Yan smiled and said: "Moreover, if there was no such thing, the significance of the box would be lost. After all, although the environment and service here are good, what people want to see when they come to the theater is the performance, and from this height, you can only vaguely see the stage."

  "Lord of the castle, the leader of the Dreamy Melody Theater wants to see you." Just as the Minotaur was about to get up and send Emily back, a servant who walked in from outside said so.

  "Do you want to see me? Well... I also kind of want to meet him." The Minotaur nodded at the servant's words and said, "Please invite him in. I have some thoughts about the performance just now that I'd like to discuss with him. It's not easy to come all the way from Thunder Cliff to perform either."

  The waiter nodded and walked out after listening to the Minotaur's words. Before long, a blonde woman with big wavy curls walked in. Perhaps because she was an actress, this woman had a very high figure, which could be said to be rare among the people of Zhongyuan, similar to Emily, a Sault person.

  The woman's skin was very fair, so Mo Yan found it difficult to tell her age, but from the kind of knowing air she exuded, this woman must have had a lot of experience, at least not an inexperienced woman, a kind of mature and subtle aura surrounded her.

  "Hello, I am Mo Yan, the ruler of New Federation." The Minotaur stood up and extended his hand to the woman, shaking her small hand and said: "Your performance just now was wonderful, you are true artists dedicated to art, I have never seen such a form of performance."

  "So... how about the play you invented?" The woman smiled and nodded, sitting down on the sofa in the private room at the invitation of the cow-headed man. "I heard that you are the inventor of plays, so I came from Carthage to Thunder Cliff in Elan, wanting to get your evaluation from you. The one just performed is also the brainchild of our playwrights, it's its first performance."

  "Spoken drama has its own advantages, and opera also has its own benefits." Mo Yan thought for a moment and said: "The previous play was very good, the plot arrangement was tight and the story had ups and downs, making people feel the kind of steadfast love between the two sides, and also feeling the irony of treating nobility with hatred. However... if it could be revised a bit, maybe it would be even more touching..."

  The blonde woman heard the turning point in the Minotaur's words and naturally asked the Minotaur how to modify it. Her own drama troupe's masterpiece was denied, and the blonde woman was still a little angry. But as the Minotaur spoke out Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, every woman in the house couldn't help but shed tears. Shakespeare's tragedy is far better than the work written by that drama troupe, not just by one or two points.

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