"Ahem…"
After Lucas coughed lightly twice, the noisy atmosphere completely quieted down. Everyone stared at him silently. He was standing on the shadow play stage, holding a microphone in his hand—the all-in-one kind that had a built-in speaker.
"I am Lucas, the Lord of Sedona City," Lucas said, flicking his sleeve slightly and holding the microphone to his mouth. "Today is the last day of the old year. After today, everyone will be one year older."
With Lucas's current prestige, the crowd below was exceptionally quiet. Not a single person made a sound. Annie, Mina, Nicole, and the others watched Lucas, their beautiful eyes shimmering.
"In the old year, none of you had it easy. A full meal one day, an empty stomach the next—this was the norm for everyone," Lucas's voice was low and powerful as he spoke solemnly. "The old year has its old ways. The new year is coming soon. Only through labor can everyone live a good life. Labor is what fills everyone's stomachs, and diligent study is what can change your own destiny."
"As long as you study diligently and work hard, as your Lord, I may not have any other great abilities, but I can at least promise that I will not let you go hungry."
These simple and heartfelt words made the commoners below tear up. Their old year had been too bitter. If they hadn't met their benevolent Lord, who abolished exorbitant taxes, created steel coins to allow for small-denomination transactions, and made their lives richer and more varied.
Lucas's voice grew louder and more passionate, then his tone shifted. "Spring is coming. From now on, at this time every year—the last day of the old year and the first three days of the new year—will all be paid holidays. And, there will be shadow plays to watch."
As soon as his voice fell, a unified roar erupted from the crowd. "Long live the Lord! Long live the Lord!"
Lucas's simple words were what moved people the most. The commoners didn't think much about the long term; they only focused on the benefits right in front of them. Paid holidays and shadow plays—these two things hit the mark perfectly.
The commoners knew of shadow plays, but many couldn't bear to spend the money to see them. The shadow play Lucas was putting on would start from the first episode. Twelve episodes would be shown over four days, which would lead perfectly into the new episode being shown at the shadow play shop, attracting many more people to go see it there.
Lucas stood on the stage and waved his hand before walking down and sitting in the centermost chair. He turned his head to Mina and said, "Let's begin."
"Yes!" Mina nodded and got up to make the arrangements.
"Hic~"
Annie, who was next to him, suddenly let out a belch, and her cheeks immediately flushed red. She had stuffed herself during the food-grabbing frenzy.
"Hic~" Ayesha also hiccupped, making her lower her head in embarrassment. She and Annie had snatched the most food.
"Do you want to drink some water?" Nicole asked with concern, a hint of a smile in her eyes. The two of them had grabbed so many but in the end, neither had found a silver coin.
"No," Annie and Ayesha quickly shook their heads. Their stomachs were already bursting; drinking water would make them throw up.
"Nicole, there are digestion tablets in the first-aid kit. Go get two for them," Lucas said, amused by the two who had no self-control.
"I'll go get them," Helen said with an embarrassed smile and stood up to head towards the castle. She had been the one to find one of the silver coins.
"Who knew our luck would be so bad," Annie grumbled with a pout, her fox ears drooping listlessly. "I won't dare to eat so much next time," Ayesha said, clutching her bulging stomach. She rubbed it from time to time; anyone who didn't know better would think she was pregnant.
"DONG DONG DONG!!!"
At that moment, the sound of gongs and drums rang out. The surrounding torches were immediately covered with black linen cloth, and the area plunged into darkness, save for the light shining from behind the white screen.
"Dong dong dong…"
The dense beat of the drums immediately captured everyone's attention as shadow puppets appeared on the white screen.
The sound of small drums continued, accompanied by the strumming of a yueqin and the drawing of an erhu, as a magnetic voice came from behind the white screen.
"Legend has it that after an unknown amount of time, a new era began. The entire world consisted of many continents, continents much larger than our current Gloomfang Mountain Range. The main ones were the Eastern Purvavideha, the Western Aparagodaniya…"
As the shadow play unfolded, Lucy, who was in the crowd, felt her eyes slowly widen, staring at the white screen in disbelief, completely unable to look away.
Jones was in a similar state. Her red eyes were focused on the screen, her leopard ears pricked up, listening intently to the slightly accented voice.
As the plot of the shadow play progressed, the commoners didn't even dare to breathe loudly, afraid of disturbing the operators behind the screen. Even those who had seen it before watched with renewed concentration. For them, they could truly never get tired of watching it.
Only Lucas sat there blankly, grinning from time to time. He was getting a little sleepy. The shadow play held very little appeal for him. He decided he had to build a grand theater and introduce stage plays, skits, and the like. That would be a real Spring Festival Gala.
"Yaaawn~~" Lucas yawned. It was the first night of the "Spring Festival Gala," and he couldn't leave. He had to stay up until at least twelve.
Nicole leaned in and whispered in Lucas's ear, her breath like an orchid, "Master, you can lean on me and sleep for a bit. No one can see over here."
"Mhm!" Lucas yawned again. The only light in the entire square was from the stage; the rest of the area was pitch black. Lucas felt at ease resting his head on Nicole's lap to nap for a while.
He had been busy quite late last night and had gotten up early. Now was a good time to catch up on sleep. Resting on the girl's soft thigh, smelling the faint, fresh scent of her body, Lucas fell asleep in no time.
Nicole's cheeks were slightly red. She placed her hands on the Master's head and slowly combed through his black hair. Looking at his peaceful face, she felt a great sense of tranquility in her heart.
"Huh? Where's the Master?" Mina returned and looked around, but didn't see Lucas.
"Over here!" Nicole beckoned, pointing to her lap.
"Uh…" Mina froze when she saw this, her face instantly flushing bright red. She remembered how the Master had been with her so late last night, and then he had been busy all day today…
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