People might be illiterate, but most of them have eyes and ears.
As a result, opera and various forms of theater are considered the most influential arts in this world. Numerous stories have been adapted into a variety of plays, performed repeatedly in every corner of the continent. Humans, dwarfs, elves, and even the barbarian clan of the Desolate Land are all captivated by them.
Except for the Titan Giants. The main reason is probably that they can't find a big enough stage.
The content of the stories fully showcases the thoughts, cultures, and aspirations of different races.
For example, elves. In their plots, there's always at least one human secretly chopping down a forest, and the human always ends up executed. Even in love stories that have absolutely nothing to do with humans.
For dwarfs, their lines are filled with all kinds of cursing. There's always a hypocritical elf and a human who wants to steal their treasure.
For humans, in their realms, the main genres are holy plays and knight plays. Holy plays, funded by the Church, aim to glorify the Holy Spirit. As for knight plays, they are usually financed by nobles. The protagonist is typically a knight, who slays one or two evil dragons or liches, and then marries a princess. Although people don't understand why evil dragons and liches love kidnapping princesses so much, they always have to kidnap one or two, right? Otherwise, who would the knight marry after defeating the villains?
Hmm? You mentioned demons? No, no, no. Demons are the villains in holy plays. Though everything is made up, there are rules to follow.
Of course, sometimes the villain in knight plays can also be human. This has its own logic. For example, in the Isaac Kingdom, if the antagonist in the story is human, it's usually the King of Allen Kingdom, their neighbor. The feud between these two kingdoms is deep-rooted, sparking conflict almost every century, even with Church arbitration. When they're not fighting, what do they do? Naturally, they dig up the enemy's soldiers from the graves and kill them again on the stage.
It's been estimated that each year, at least ten million soldiers from Allen Kingdom die on the stages in Isaac Kingdom, ten times more than the total casualties of their real wars over millennia. You can imagine the situation in Allen Kingdom is similar.
And these plays are funded by both royal families.
Although most of the plays are written by third-rate playwrights with chaotic logic and nonsensical plots, and the actors' performances are inconsistent and uninspiring, clearly, for the general people, especially those with limited understanding of the world, they have significant influence. Sometimes they even play a key role in shaping their values.
For example, Gray falls into this category. He seemed to open the door to a new world.
When he saw the protagonist being rejected from an engagement, Gray got excited, angrily slamming the tea table!
When he saw the protagonist being bullied by a rich heir, Gray got excited again, wishing he could rush in and punch the guy!
When he saw the protagonist finally succeeding in a comeback, Gray got so excited yet again, that he screamed!
When he saw the protagonist losing his memory, Gray lamented unceasingly.
In short, Gray fell into every cliché and pitfall imaginable. Yes, every single one. There probably won't be another audience so easily deceived in this world. He was a blessing for the playwrights.
The black cat yawned lazily at the side.
"I don't see what's so interesting about this. Didn't you just get rejected from a proposal? Why weren't you this excited then?"
"Hmm? It does seem that way. Could it be…" Gray turned to look at the stage and said, "I am the destined protagonist?"
The black cat nearly dropped its eyeballs.
...
At the Gruglu family's estate.
At this moment, Shelley, who had rejected Gray's proposal but was full of grievances, was still immersed in sadness, crying non-stop, only the location had changed from her bedroom to the hall. Count Gruglu sat nearby, puffing on his pipe.
"Grandfather, you can't just let him humiliate your poor granddaughter like this. You must get justice for your granddaughter! This concerns the honor of the Gruglu family! We can't just let it go!"
Shelley spoke passionately, almost out of breath. However, Count Gruglu didn't seem that concerned.
He shrugged and said, "Then, my poor granddaughter, what do you think I should do?"
"Mobilize your troops and give him a beating!"
"Obviously that's not possible. Mobilizing troops to deal with Gray now would be almost equivalent to declaring war on the Beisher Family. They are in conflict with the Royal Family, we shouldn't wade into this mess."
"Then… then we should pressure the Beisher Family! If they don't punish Gray, we won't support them!"
"So if they punish Gray, we support them? That's worse. I'm afraid if I propose this, Yilin, that little girl, would laugh out loud."
"Then what should we do?" Shelley whimpered, wiping her tears.
"You could choose to accept his proposal, that way you can prove to everyone that he did propose to you. All problems solved." Saying that, Count Gruglu shrugged again.
With a loud "waah," Shelley cried even harder.
"Alright, alright, grandfather was just kidding." Count Gruglu quickly comforted her, "You should think of a solution yourself, you're quite skilled at this, aren't you?"
Shelley stared blankly at her grandfather.
"You have so many suitors, you could consider mobilizing them, let them figure it out. Even if they fail, it wouldn't be your fault, would it? Don't always think of doing things yourself, that's not our family tradition. Even if it's killing, if your hand has held a knife, it will get blood on it. Do you want to get bloody?"
Shelley shook her head blankly.
"If you don't want to get bloody, then never do it yourself. Understand? That's the style of our family."
Shelley nodded blankly.
"Alright, if there's nothing else, go back to your room and think about how to deal with him. Or you could go to bed earlier. Go on." Saying this, Count Gruglu waved his hand, signaling her to leave.
Helpless and aggrieved, Shelley had to bow in respect and leave.
Back in her room, unable to think of a good solution, she decided to heed her grandfather's advice, and summon her suitors the next day.
"It's time to test them, isn't it? But for now, sleep and refresh! Tomorrow we'll take down Gray!" Shelley said angrily.
...
About two hours later, "The Knight Training Guide Sequel" finished. The black cat thought it was time to go back, but Gray watched another show, "Hero vs. Dragon." So, another two hours passed.
"Wow! Did you see that, *sacrifice*! The protagonist is saving his companions!"
"That's *integrity*! The protagonist resisted the temptation and firmly refused to submit to the wicked lich!"
"Wait, how could there be a lich in a hero vs. dragon play? Whatever."
"Oh my God! How could he do this! This violates the knight's oath!"
"That dragon looks so evil!"
The black cat wanted to tell him, "You want to see what true evil looks like? Just take off your helmet."
Of course, saying this to a lich whose moral compass was already skewed beyond repair was utterly pointless.
The theater owner's tickets sold like hotcakes. He could swear that this year, no show had been this packed. He even started selling standing tickets. In fact, standing tickets became more valuable than seats, as several spots around the stage allowed a view of Gray's box, which were now crammed with people.
Gray watched the play, while the audience watched him.
Not until the theater closed did Gray reluctantly leave.
The theater owner tightly held Gray's hand, unable to calm down. When he found out Gray would be back the next evening, he almost knelt calling him "Dad." Other audience members hurried to shake Gray's hand, while the stage actors were completely neglected, as if Gray had been the one performing.
"With such a good place, why didn't you tell me earlier? I've found the true essence of being a knight! I have a new understanding of chivalry!"
"Oh, really?"
"I have decided to become a knight admired by everyone, just like them!"
"You are already the most admired knight in Gray White City, what more do you want?"
"It's different. There's still a gap between me and them! Wait, does this count as *humility*? I resisted the allure of *vanity*, thus achieving a kind of chivalric enlightenment?"
"Yes, you're absolutely right. You are totally right," the black cat sneered.
Mounting his Bone Horse, Gray shouted, "Let's go, Tenidas!"
The Bone Horse seemed to have found a soulmate, raising its hooves and letting out a long neigh. Everyone turned to look over.
"I can't wait for the morning sun to rise! A new journey awaits us!" This sentence echoed through half of Gray White City.
The black cat felt utterly embarrassed, yet the surrounding onlookers applauded.
Squatting on the rooftop and watching Gray from afar, the male Angel muttered, "Do you think this lich has gone mad?"
"Kind of. But I've never seen such madness," the female Angel replied.
...
Anyway, the first day of Gray's life in Gray White City, oh no, the second day, came to an end.
Gray started a new chapter in his life as a lich, while the city welcomed its greatest "knight" in history.
As for the black cat, its nightmare had just begun. Because Gray would no longer laugh "ha ha ha" watching "The Knight Training Guide" alone at midnight. He even started re-enacting the scenes in his room from beginning to end. While reading and performing, the black cat was forced to play the villain, the minion, and sometimes even the rescued princess.
Ugh... just thinking about it gave it goosebumps. In short, it was extremely humiliating, so let's not describe it.
Oh yes, and Shelley. She had just woken up in fright, having dreamt of a sheep with Gray in wolf's clothing among them.