Chapter 188
"Ring ring."
The sound of bicycle bells rang out in the street, and children who had been playing happily and had run into the middle of the road quickly moved aside to make way.
They watched the bicycles ride by with envy, some even chasing after them for a while.
"I'd like to ride it for a while too."
"You can't get on. Bicycles are too big, your legs are too short. That's a bike for adults."
"They say the lord is ordering the making of bicycles that we can ride. I wonder when they'll be available for sale, so I can own one."
One of the boys proudly declared, "I know!"
"How did you know? Tell me quickly..."
A group of children surrounded the boy, urging him to speak quickly.
It turns out the boy's father was an Ordinary Artisan, and the bicycle factory was currently recruiting craftsmen on a large scale, offering very good benefits.
So the boy's father went to meet him.
Working in a factory naturally provides access to information.
The factory currently produces three main types of bicycles: adult bicycles, high-end bicycles suitable for teenagers or children around eight or nine years old, and bicycles for children under five years old with two extra wheels on either side of the rear wheel for lateral balance and to prevent falls.
When the boy's father returned home, he talked about the bicycle factory, and the sales were expected to begin in early summer of this year.
At that time, factory workers will receive a discount when they purchase.
The boy's father has promised to buy him a bicycle when the time comes.
[Honestly, I've been using this app to follow my favorite books lately. It has multiple reading sources, various voice options, and works on both Android Apple.]
This undoubtedly made the surrounding children extremely envious.
In early summer, following the adult bicycles, the Thorn Merchant Guild indeed launched two more small bicycles, one of which is perfectly suited for young boys and girls who are still growing up.
The other model of bicycle is more like a toy for children, allowing them to release their excess energy in their spare time.
After the conflict with the Bia Kingdom ended and the cold winter passed, all regions entered a period of rest and recuperation.
Every industry is developing rapidly.
Despite the turmoil, basic needs like food and clothing were still met, and people gradually became more prosperous in all aspects of life, leading them to improve their cultural and intellectual literacy.
From a barren cultural desert, it is now slowly being watered by the rain. Tender shoots sprout from the dry cracks, stretching their bodies freely, and one day, they will bloom into magnificent flowers.
The Desinia Territory, this summer.
Cyrus ordered the construction of an opera house and an Art Exhibition Hall in Visas and Komoy Fort respectively.
Opera, an art form that has never existed before, is a stage art that expresses stories and plots entirely through singing and music.
The stage needs a backdrop, and the opera performers need to wear professional costumes...
To see an opera performance, you must buy a ticket to enter, and the prices of opera tickets vary; the better the viewing position, the more expensive the ticket.
Moreover, these opera tickets are sold on a limited-edition basis.
There are only two or three opera performances each month.
The opera house did not initially attract much attention; people only paid attention to it because it was a place specially commissioned by the Lord of Desinia.
They don't yet know what use it is.
Afterwards, the Thorn Merchant Guild, newspapers, and other organizations began to vigorously promote opera performances, explaining to people what opera is, its form, and its number of performances.
The opera house's first run of performances was the opening act of the "Tales" series.
The existence of the "Stories of All Kinds" series of books can be said to have created a precise and detailed narrative system.
Afterwards, people continued to write similar storybooks, all based on the settings of races such as the Yellow Race, Dragon Race, and Elves, with slight modifications or embellishments.
The stories hold a special significance for the people of the Desinia Territory, and even for people in other countries and territories.
These were, after all, books that inspired them to actively learn to read, and even the church staff would read them every day, never missing a single newspaper that published "Stories of the People."
It can be said that the existence of "Stories of Various Kinds" allows people of all ages to derive the joy of reading from it.
Now, this extraordinary book is going to be performed by real people on stage at the opera house in Visas, and anyone who buys a ticket can watch it. How can anyone not be excited and thrilled?
Even if you manage to buy tickets for the first show, there will be second, third, and so on, with subsequent shows running in rotation.
There's absolutely no need to worry about missing out.
With such promotion, the opera house tickets sold out immediately upon release.
The tickets held by Nat, the diplomat from the Desinia Territory, and Vina, the mayor of Komoy Fort, were personally presented by Cyrus.
Not only them, but also their close associates were given one or two opera tickets by Cyrus.
The opera house has two floors; the first floor has regular seats, while the second floor has private boxes, with expensive tickets.
Nat and Vina were sitting in a private box on the second floor.
Nat couldn't contain his excitement. "Vina, you and the lord chose the performers together, tell me quickly, isn't the actress playing the wise woman Mavis beautiful?"
"No, being pretty is secondary; what matters most is one's temperament!"
Faced with her friend's persistent questioning, Vina smiled and said, "You won't be disappointed, just keep reading."
It's important to know that from selecting opera singers to overseeing the plot, performances, and rehearsals, he and the lord put in a tremendous amount of effort to get to this point.
I'm confident that this performance will be absolutely satisfying.
As it turned out, the opera performance was a great success. People left the opera house with smiles on their faces, chatting excitedly among themselves.
Some people even plan to watch it a second time.
The opera singers' costumes are exquisite, and the pointed ears of the elves, the height of the Giants, the dwarfs, the distinctive features of the orcs, as well as the depiction of the dragons and the handsome and beautiful figures of the mongooses are all portrayed with great detail.
The selection of opera singers and elf actors, in particular, is very pleasing to the eye, even without speaking, just standing on the stage.
What's more, they all have amazingly beautiful voices.
When the story was told through vivid voices, almost everyone in the opera house was captivated.
After the first curtain call, the applause lasted for a long time.
The first opera of "The Tales" was a great success, and the opera's brilliance spread far and wide, eventually reaching the entire Desinia Territory.
The second performance attracted even more people who came specifically to see it.
This directly led to a shortage of opera tickets, with nobles even buying them at exorbitant prices.
Opera tickets have, to some extent, become a high-end gift exchanged between people.
Cyrus had naturally anticipated this situation, but for now, this was all that could be done; it would probably only improve the situation once another opera house was built elsewhere.
Unlike the opera's phenomenal success, another Art Exhibition Hall built at the same time seemed to have a rather lukewarm reception.
There are currently no exhibits in the Art Exhibition Hall.
However, this was a preparation made by Cyrus to mobilize people's enthusiasm. The art displayed in the Art Exhibition Hall is not limited to various forms, including but not limited to sculptures, clay sculptures, paintings, and miniature architecture.
If you believe your work is good enough, you can register at the Art Exhibition Hall, fill in your personal information, and record your artistic creation process, ideas, name, etc.
Afterwards, your artwork will be exhibited in the Art Exhibition Hall.
One person's perspective and evaluation are limited, but the eyes of the masses are undoubtedly discerning; people will judge the exhibits themselves.
The Art Exhibition Hall is directly guarded by cavalry to ensure the safety of the exhibits.
The creation of a work of art takes a considerable amount of time and effort, requiring meticulous preparation and refinement... Therefore, after the Art Exhibition Hall was built, it not only contained no exhibits, but also attracted no visitors.
However, regardless of the relationship, Cyrus didn't care how long she had to wait.
He only hopes that this Art Exhibition Hall can truly endure for generations, that it can give birth to groundbreaking artworks, imbue them with special meaning, and find the geniuses of this era...
He wants the economy to take off, and the culture to become more vibrant and diverse.
Finally, as the opera house welcomed its third performance, a young man also arrived at the Art Exhibition Hall —or rather, a young painter.
Cyrus personally reviewed this first person's painting.
Then, to his surprise, he discovered that the person had drawn Charis of the Moon from "The Tales of the Moon" on the paper.
--The pure moon goddess wore Moonlight Gown woven from moonlight, adorned with the flower Belanka, the hem of which trailed gracefully on the verdant grass.
Charis raised her head slightly, her hands outstretched as if welcoming something, where golden light shone down, and in the hazy light, flowers and birds flew in...
The figures in the painting are vividly portrayed, and the purity and gentleness of the Moon Goddess seem to leap off the paper. The colors are highly saturated yet harmonious, creating a visually striking beauty.
It makes people forget the mundane world upon seeing it.
Cyrus immediately recognized it—this was the scene in the book where Charis greeted her friend, the wise woman Mavis.
He was delighted that his storybook had garnered fan art, and also pleased that the artwork was quite good; the exquisite drawing skills perfectly expressed the nobility, kindness, and beauty of the tribe that distinguished them from other tribes.
He waited for a genius painter!
Overwhelmed with excitement, Cyrus immediately went to meet the painter in person and promised to reserve a private exhibition space for him in the Art Exhibition Hall.