Chapter 75: The Royal Opera House
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 75: The Royal Opera House
Back in the mortal world, Xie Bai took a deep breath of fresh air.
"Ah... it’s been a while since I’ve been out."
Since helping Atoris deal with the Insect Race, Xie Bai hadn't returned to the mortal world for quite some time.
Watching the crowds bustling through the streets, Xie Bai felt a sudden whim and found a relatively quiet little shop.
To any observer, Xie Bai looked like any other passerby on the street; there was almost nothing unusual to be detected.
After sitting down, Xie Bai casually ordered a drink and began reading a copy of the Imperial Daily left on the side.
"The Sword of the Empire’s concert tour has officially begun... public response is enthusiastic. Hmm... despite just having survived a crisis, everything is still flourishing. But I wonder what this place would have become if I hadn't gotten involved..."
Under normal circumstances, the crisis the Aodu Empire faced was anything but light.
In fact, one could go as far as to say the nation had nearly been wiped out.
Externally, the Aodu Empire faced the Void Insect Hive; internally, both the Emperor and the Grand Marshal had been planted with Chaos Seeds.
In such a state of internal strife and external aggression, the Aodu Empire would have been lucky just to keep its name.
Not to mention, the Aodu Empire occupied a vast territory covering almost the entire Eastern Continent.
The moment the Empire showed even a hint of weakness, those regions that hadn't fully submitted would have seized the opportunity to raise the banner of independence and revolt.
Normally, these crises existed solely to facilitate the growth of the Child of Fate.
According to the alchemical principle of equivalent exchange, Edward—the alchemist-side Child of Fate—would have encountered a massive opportunity after surviving such a catastrophe.
One could already see the signs of this in the Singularity Technology he had previously obtained and the high-ranking Imperial position he now held.
However, these major crises that were supposed to happen had been snuffed out in advance by Xie Bai.
"Speaking of which, since the Chaos Church's plan to destroy the Empire failed, where did Julius and the others go?"
Thinking of this, Xie Bai took a sip of the drink.
It was bitter.
"Tsk... this stuff looks like milk, so why does it taste like coffee?"
Finding the taste unpleasant, Xie Bai channeled a sliver of Void power to alter the flavor.
"Mmm... now it tastes a bit like the milk tea from my past life..."
After finishing the drink, Xie Bai silently departed the shop.
Seeing the extra cup on the table, a passing waiter looked confused.
"Strange, did someone order at this seat?"
Even after clearing the table, the waiter couldn't remember anyone having been there.
"Whatever, I probably just forgot to clear it earlier. I hope the boss didn't see."
*
On the other side of town, Xie Bai had arrived at the gates of the Royal Opera House.
The area surrounding the opera house was currently a sea of people, yet the main doors were tightly shut.
"Am I late?"
Looking at the noisy crowd, Xie Bai thought for a moment.
"It seems Atoris's popularity is far beyond my imagination. Even with the venue closed off, there are still so many people who couldn't get in waiting outside."
Faced with this scene, Xie Bai couldn't help but think of the insanely popular concerts from his previous life.
By comparison, the situation here was even more exaggerated.
As the "Imperial Idol," Atoris was currently the most popular existence in the entire Empire; her fame could no longer be measured by the standards of an ordinary idol.
There were even a significant number of foreigners who had traveled to the city just to catch a glimpse of the legendary Sword of the Empire.
With that thought, Xie Bai looked down from the steps.
The mountain of people had already spilled over into the plaza and commercial streets below.
If the opera house hadn't strictly forbidden the construction of shops in the immediate vicinity, Xie Bai felt it wouldn't be long before a complete and prosperous commercial district sprang up right here.
"Oh, right. I could probably use this location to set up the Empire branch of the Wheel of Fate. On the surface, it can be disguised as a business conglomerate, while behind the scenes, we can secretly recruit players."
Xie Bai found the idea quite feasible.
Currently, the development of the Wheel of Fate within the Empire was primarily handled by Roland.
Roland had recently resigned from his position as Royal Alchemist under Orion to focus his energy on managing the Wheel of Fate.
And currently, the organization's activities within the Empire were centered around Atoris.
Although the Royal Opera House still maintained its status as a public venue on the surface, it had effectively become Atoris's personal exclusive stage.
Roland had been a quick study when it came to the "idol economy" of the new era, taking only half a day to understand its mechanics.
He had personally gathered alchemists to establish factories for manufacturing related merchandise.
Half of the profits went to Roland to sustain industrial development, while the other half went into Atoris's personal wallet for safekeeping.
Given that the Empire did not levy taxes on her, Atoris's personal income had reached an inconceivable level.
Strictly speaking, the current Atoris was a classic case of a political-commercial hybrid, and she possessed an incredibly high level of public support.
As for Atoris's songs, they were all personally composed by Xie Bai.
He had drawn heavily from the composition styles of various Vocaloid tracks.
When these uniquely styled songs were performed by Atoris, the impact on an Empire where the entertainment industry was only just beginning to bud was nothing short of revolutionary.
"A pity I arrived a bit late. I wanted to hear how the singing went."
After a brief lament, Xie Bai entered his Spirit Form and slipped inside.
The surrounding crowd didn't even notice a young girl vanishing into thin air.
Once inside, the atmosphere was even more boisterous than Xie Bai had anticipated.
Even though the performance had just ended, the crowd was still restless.
Some even tried to rush the stage, but they were forcefully restrained by the surrounding Imperial Guards the moment they moved.
Passing through the chaotic crowd, Xie Bai successfully reached the backstage dressing room.
Atoris was currently removing some of her stage ornaments.
After several performances, Atoris had become increasingly adapted to her current body, and her mannerisms were beginning to align more with her outward identity.
Donning the battle-skirt that symbolized the Sword of the Empire, Atoris began to mutter to herself.
"Just now... there shouldn't have been any mistakes..."
Just as Atoris was reflecting on the performance, a familiar aura suddenly appeared beside her.
"My Lord?"
Seeing Xie Bai's arrival, Atoris panicked slightly and immediately lifted her skirt to bow.
"May I ask, My Lord... were you here the whole time?"
Seeing Atoris's flustered and uneasy state, Xie Bai gave a secret smile.
"That's right. And you performed very well just now."
Although Xie Bai hadn't actually seen the performance, it didn't stop him from teasing her.
Hearing Xie Bai's answer, Atoris lowered her head even further.
"Thank you for your praise, My Lord..."
[Aodu Empire Reputation +100]