Chapter 572: Anthem
...
By the time the two arrived at the square, it was already a sea of people—and this was no exaggeration. Sheya had never seen so many people gathered in one place before, not even when Longsong Stronghold was distributing relief rations. The scale was simply astonishing.
He roughly estimated that the number of people who came to watch the performance was likely more than five thousand.
The square had also changed from what it was when he first arrived. According to the locals, this was already its third renovation. The huge open space had been transformed into a giant bowl sinking layer by layer, said to be called a tiered square. Logically speaking, such a large-scale project would be difficult to complete in less than a year or two, but it seemed to have been completed in half a month. No one had ever seen where all the soil that should have been dug out had gone.
As a result, everyone could sit on the stone steps while watching the performance, without having to stand until their legs went numb, and the view was much better, as long as they could grab a spot. As for those who arrived late, they could only surround the square and stand on tiptoes to get a rough glimpse.
"Good, good," Huzhua squeezed into the last row of stone steps, forcibly making room for two people, "Finally made it."
Sheya clutched his chest tightly and carefully sat down next to his friend—the cloth bag in his chest contained all his savings for the past two months, and he had to be vigilant in such a crowded situation. If this were in Longsong, such a scene would undoubtedly be a carnival for rats. Although the Border Region had never seen the existence of rats, he still had to be wary of "temporarily repurposed" members of his own kind.
As the last trace of the sunset was covered by the night, only a few burning torches remained in the square, and the entire stage was pitch black. No one came to light the bonfire for a long time—Sheya noticed that not even a pile of firewood had been prepared in the center of the square, which made him feel a little strange.
How could there be a performance without fire?
Suddenly, a bright cluster of light bloomed on the stage. It was a bit dazzling, but Sheya quickly adapted to its soft, unadulterated hue. Then came the second cluster, and the third cluster. The stage was lit up little by little, and the exclamations of surprise from the audience rose one after another, like waves.
This was... factory lighting!
"Oh, my goodness, Evernight Lamps! They brought the Evernight Lamps here!"
Legendary magical illuminations containing the thunder of the heavens, the crystal glass罩 [zhào] alone, which imprisoned the electric light, was worth a fortune. Sheya had only seen them a few times when he occasionally passed by the industrial area.
"What Evernight Lamps? They're called electric lights," someone nearby said disdainfully. "They consume electricity, which is generated by machines made by witches! His Majesty originally planned to install these things in every residential area, but that witch xiaojie's ability doesn't seem to be able to support such a large consumption, so currently only the factories are using them."
"Where did you hear that from?" Huzhua asked curiously.
"You're not official residents of Neverwinter City yet, are you?" the man shrugged. "The City Hall has done several electricity usage campaigns, telling us how to properly use electric lights. You know, it's like fire. Improper contact can lead to disaster."
"Not thunder?"
"Uh... the two are about the same, why do you care so much? When you become His Majesty's subject and finish elementary education, you'll naturally understand."
Was there a way to quickly become an official resident? What was elementary education?
Just as Sheya wanted to ask a few more questions, the crowd suddenly erupted in deafening cheers. Huzhua grabbed him and pulled him up.
The Starflower Troupe was on stage.
"Ms. Mei! Ms. Mei!"
"Eileen xiaojie!"
"Mr. Geter!"
People shouted the names of the troupe members, and the atmosphere reached its peak.
Looking at such a scene, Sheya suddenly felt an infinite surge of envy.
He also wanted to be like them, to be the focus of people's attention, to have his name shouted enthusiastically by the crowd... They were neither nobles nor sages, and they were not out of his reach.
After the cheers subsided, the play began.
This was Sheya's first time watching a performance by Star and Flower. He didn't think he would be very interested in the elegant activities that nobles liked,
but as the music started, he unknowingly became immersed in the story on stage.
The protagonists of the story were not nobles.
They were ordinary people like him... there were free people, vagrants, and even a rat.
Some were filled with hope and dreams, some were forced by the hardships of life. They all came to Star City at the same time—in this magnificent city, these penniless people interacted with each other. They helped each other, shared their thoughts with each other, from the bitterness of leaving their hometown to confusion, and then from confusion to renewed spirit, they slowly found a direction to move forward.
Apart from the actors' narration, there was not a single sound in the huge square. Everyone held their breath, as if connected to the characters on stage.
In the end, they finally settled down in Star City and had a stable life. Those who had worked together in the past became friends and lovers. As the gentle and moving music echoed in the sky above the square, Sheya felt something touched in his heart. He pretended to rub his eyes to hide the tears rolling in his eye sockets, but found that Huzhua was already crying messily. Although he was crying, he didn't look sad.
Not only him, but everyone around him was like this. No one stood up to cheer until the end of the play, as if they were still immersed in this deeply moving story.
Even without saying it, everyone knew that this "Star City" referred to Neverwinter City.
Could even rats receive such feelings?
At this time, a woman of a different race walked out from behind the stage curtain.
She had a tall figure and waist-length blue-gray hair. The white evening gown she was wearing shimmered with silver light under the lights, like a character walking out of a painting.
Then she began to sing—
Unlike the previous music, her lyrics were powerful, praising the greatness and glory of the workers, completely unlike a woman's singing style—her singing was full of inspiring power. Sheya seemed to see in the distance from the square that each of those residences contained his own sweat, and the foreigners who had devoted themselves to this were worthy of being remembered by everyone.
The impact of the play was not fully released until this moment. People were so excited that they couldn't control themselves, clapping and shouting with all their might, and under the backdrop of the singing, this passionate emotion suddenly rose to a new height!
They were all His Majesty's subjects!
They were glorious laborers!
They were also the creators of Neverwinter City!
...
When leaving, His Majesty and the witches left from a temporary platform on one side of the square. Sheya opened his eyes wide, but couldn't find Bai Zhi's figure in the swaying crowd. But he didn't feel as disappointed as he had expected. The singing still echoed in his ears, and he felt filled with a kind of spirit in his heart.
He firmly believed that they would meet again sooner or later.
Just like those foreign visitors, in this Star City.