Chapter 572 (1/2)

Chapter 572: The Song of Praise

Translator: TransN Editor: TransN

…

By the time when Snaketooth and Tigerclaw came to the square, a huge crowd of people had already gathered up there. Snaketooth had never seen so many people get together in one place, even when Longsong Stronghold was distributing relief grains.

He counted roughly and estimated that there were probably over 5,000 people came to watch the play.

The square which used to be just a flat land was changed into a giant, sunken bowl in the ground, which was called an amphitheater. According to the locals, this was the third time that the square was rebuilt. Generally speaking, such a huge project would take one or two years to complete, but this amphitheater had been built in merely half a month and during the time, nobody had ever seen where the soil dug out went.

In this amphitheater, the audience could sit on the stone steps to watch the play, instead of standing until their legs were numb. It also enabled the audience to have a better view, as long as you could find a seat. As for those who came late, they could still stand on their tiptoes around the square to have a look.

Tigerclaw squeezed into the last row of the stone stairs and made a space enough for two people, saying, “Not so bad. We still make it.”

Snaketooth clutched a cloth bag to his chest and sat beside his friend with great care. As the bag contained all his savings in the past two months, he had to be alert in such a crowded place. In the Longsong Area, at places like this one, Rats would be on the spree. Though the Border Area had no Rats now, he still felt that he needed to watch out for the Rats who were “temporarily transferred to civilian work”.

When the last afterglow of the sunset melted into the darkness of the night, there were only several burning torches giving light to the square. The stage was still enveloped in darkness. Snaketooth could not help but feel quite strange when he found that nobody came to light up the bonfire and that there was no firewood in the center of the square.

He could not help wondering how they were going to play without firelight.

Suddenly, a bright beam of light shone on the stage. It was dazzling but Snaketooth soon got used to this pure light. Then the second and the third beam of light appeared, gradually lighting up the stage. Gasps of amazement that were produced by the audience reverberated over the square.

“They’re the lights used in the plants!” he thought.

“Oh, my goodness! Nightless light! They bring nightless lights here!”

Rumor had it that it was a magic light that trapped the lightning of the sky in an expensive crystal glass bulb. Snaketooth had only seen it several times when he passed by the industrial district.

“Nightless light? Come on, it’s called electric light and consumes electricity. It’s made by the machines created by the witches! His Majesty planned to have every household equipped with electric lights, but the witch who provided electricity was unable to support so many lights. That’s why only the plants are using this kind of lights now.” Someone nearby snorted and said.

“How do you know that?” Tigerclaw asked with interest.

That person shrugged and said, “You aren’t official residents of City of Neverwinter, right? The City Hall has done propaganda about electricity to tell us how to use the electric lights safely. They’re like fire. If you don’t use them properly, it’ll cause disaster.”

“Not like thunder?”

“Uhm… almost the same. Don’t bother so much. When you become subjects of His Majesty and finish the primary education, you’ll understand.”

“Is there any way that I can become a formal subject faster? What’s the primary education?”

Snaketooth asked and wanted to ask more questions, but Tigerclaw suddenly grabbed him up when the crowd burst into deafening cheers.

The Star Flower Troupe stepped on the stage.

“Ms. May! Ms. May!”

“Ms. Irene!”

“Mr. Gait!”