The Bard Association was far more particular than Jia Xiu had expected.
They provided round-trip transportation and even gifts. The appearance fee for the lecture was paid in full beforehand, they would compile the lecture content into a booklet, and they even offered an editing fee.
He hadn't expected that dipping a quill in ink could also be called "lubricating the brush"—literally, "moistening the brush."
The lecture hall had two thousand seats. Including standing room, he estimated that more than three thousand people could attend.
Practically everyone working in the bard business in Thaldarian and the surrounding areas had shown up.
Jia Xiu felt a little embarrassed by the turnout.
He'd thought it would be a small venue with a few dozen people, or at most a hundred or so.
But with a crowd this large, it seemed the bards really wanted to know why the Phantom had become such a hit.
Then he thought about the subject of his lecture, and couldn't help laughing. He was going to talk about the most pragmatic things in the most artistic of venues.
"Characterization is the design of a character: their appearance, abilities, personality, and what sets them apart from others. In many classic epics, famous characters tend to be rather simple and straightforward. A hero is just a hero, with an especially imposing image. It can feel like they lack depth. Let me give you an example."
As he spoke, Jia Xiu lifted Bubu and set the little creature on the table.
Two magic crystals had "bought it off" to serve as his "teaching aid."
"This is Bubu, my attendant, a Fairy Undead. It's very cute, but quite capable. It's a mage, yet its dream is to become a Knight. What makes it distinctive? That amusing contrast. When a character is