Chapter 207: A Phenomenal Masterpiece
Willis City, Dragon Factory.
Finally, it was lunch break. Kelson, a worker from the gas distribution workshop, left his post exhausted and headed to the cafeteria for a meal.
Ever since the launch of the Interconnected Grand E-commerce, the Keville Divine Kingdom had overnight become the largest trade exporter in the multiverse.
Goods of all kinds were in high demand.
The collaborative division of labor in industrial production had plunged not only the entire Divine Kingdom but even some beneficiary subcontractors in the Kaman Union into a frenzy of busyness.
The Dragon Factory was especially overwhelmed!
By now, the Dragon Factory had expanded with several new workshops, but land was still insufficient. Parts of the production chain had even been forced to relocate to new districts.
Kelson knew nothing of these macroeconomic trends!
All he knew was that the Dragon Factory always had endless work, and the Dragon Factory fed his entire family.
With just this one job at the Dragon Factory, he could support his household and even have some to spare.
For that, he was already deeply satisfied.
As he neared the cafeteria, a sudden eruption of cheers burst from inside!
"Nice!"
"Get him!"
"Finish it!"
The excited roars left Kelson utterly bewildered.
His fellow workers from the same shift exchanged equally confused glances.
Could there be a fight?
At the thought, a flicker of excitement flashed in Kelson’s eyes, and he hurriedly quickened his pace to rush inside.
Yet, the moment he stepped into the cafeteria, he froze.
Inside the spacious cafeteria hall, a large crowd of sweaty workers—some sitting, some standing—held their lunch boxes while gathered around a wall, their eyes glued to something ahead, their faces alight with excitement.
On the wall they were watching, a massive virtual screen, over a dozen paces wide, hovered in place.
The screen was playing a video.
In the video, an enormous Undead Dragon rampaged through a limestone cave, roaring and charging wildly.
However, the cave’s confined space left the Undead Dragon severely restricted, making it struggle awkwardly.
Still, the chaos sent rocks flying and shook the earth, creating a terrifying spectacle!
A plain-looking young man in sharp armor, dressed like a mercenary, brandished a longsword, dodging and weaving within the limited space as he fiercely battled the Undead Dragon.
The scene was explosively thrilling!
The sheer visual impact of the giant screen left Kelson utterly dumbstruck!
And he wasn’t alone—the workers swarming in behind him were equally stunned, standing frozen at the cafeteria entrance, unable to take another step.
The vast cafeteria was almost silent, save for the intense combat sounds blaring from the movie.
Countless people held their breaths, their palms slick with nervous sweat!
Every time the mercenary wounded the Undead Dragon, the cafeteria erupted in deafening cheers!
Kelson stared blankly at the video, at a world of Magic that seemed both within reach and impossibly distant. His scalp tingled, his body trembled, and his blood burned with excitement!
When he saw the Undead Dragon, unable to catch the mercenary, instead pinning a graceful woman beneath its claws and threatening the mercenary to surrender—
Kelson’s face flushed red with fury, his fists clenching uncontrollably!
Princess Hedi cried out, urging the mercenary to run, to leave her—the Undead Dragon was only using her to deceive him!
Even if he surrendered, the Undead Dragon would still kill them.
Yet, despite this, faced with the woman he loved, the mercenary boy resolutely chose to surrender.
Kelson watched as the Undead Dragon let out a triumphant, sinister laugh before seizing the mercenary boy in its claws. A wave of despair surged through Kelson’s heart as if he were experiencing it himself!
And it wasn’t just him—countless workers in the cafeteria wore grim expressions.
Some sighed in frustration;
others cursed loudly.
But most were filled with righteous fury, itching to charge in and help.
Just as the workers were overwhelmed with agitation,
in the movie, as the Undead Dragon was about to crush the mercenary boy in its grip, at this moment of utter despair, the mercenary suddenly recalled an old man who had once entrusted him with a Divine Magic Artifact.
The old man had told him that by sacrificing all his life force, he could unleash its power!
At this revelation, Kelson froze.
The workers were even more stunned!
Because the mercenary boy truly gave up all his life force, activating the magic artifact. In an instant, his appearance rapidly aged, his hair turning gray.
At this moment, an overwhelming shock erupted from Kelson’s heart—and from the hearts of countless commoners.
Amidst the dazzling glow of magic, the Undead Dragon let out a despairing wail before crumbling into ashes!
But the mercenary boy plummeted from the sky, coughing up blood as he collapsed. He had become a frail old man on the brink of death.
The cafeteria fell into complete silence.
All the workers stared blankly at this soul-stirring sacrifice, many with reddened eyes—especially the more emotional ones.
And when Princess Hedi scrambled desperately to the mercenary boy’s side, demanding to know why he had been so foolish, his reply—"Because I want you to be happy"—drew tears even from the burliest of men.
Kelson couldn’t help but rub his eyes, his chest tight with an unbearable ache!
Just as despair and pessimism filled the cafeteria,
Princess Hedi suddenly began chanting: "Great God of Contracts, under Your witness, I willingly form a Life-Sharing Contract with Moses!"
The mercenary boy, Moses, paled in horror: "Stop! Are you insane? My life is already spent—this will cut your lifespan in half!"
Princess Hedi gazed at him tenderly: "You gave everything for me. Why shouldn’t I share my life with you? With the half that remains, I’ll spend the rest of my days repaying you. Is that not enough?"
"Yes—"
"Praise the God of Contracts!"
The workers in the cafeteria erupted in excitement!
Countless men leaped to their feet, cheering and shouting so loudly the roof nearly shook.
Kelson, too, joined the jubilant crowd.
After a while, he grabbed someone and asked eagerly, "Hey, where did this happen?"
"No idea. Looks like it’s from the videos section!"
"Huh? The videos section?"
Having missed the internet update due to work, Kelson was stunned.
That afternoon was rough for Kelson.
Too engrossed in the movie during lunch break, he had barely eaten—leaving him starving the rest of the day.
Yet, despite the discomfort, he was happy.
While working, his mind kept replaying the thrilling battle scenes and the tragic yet beautiful love story of Poor Boy Moses and Princess Hedi. The sheer exhilaration of it all was unforgettable!
He couldn't wait to get off work and return home to watch it again from start to finish.
But on this day, was Kelson the only one who wanted to watch it again?
Since its release, the movie had taken the multiverse by storm almost instantly.
For the vast majority of commoners across the multiverse, even a mage capable of casting a hand-crafted fireball was an exceedingly rare sight!
Let alone kings, dragons, and even gods—those lofty beings so far beyond their reach!
So when they clicked open the movie and were greeted by the opening shot of countless dense scales sweeping across the screen, the sheer awe of it made their scalps tingle!
Especially for those using soul-projection mode—it was as if they were right there in the scene.
The movie vividly depicted elements like "gods," "kings," "nobles," "war," and "magic," like an unstoppable mudslide, materializing the commoners' wildest imaginations of the upper echelons!
After all, even when gods slandered their divine rivals, they only did so through words and books.
Human imagination may seem boundless, but in truth, it is severely limited—constrained by one's own knowledge and experiences.
For commoners who had never witnessed the extravagant lives of nobles, their fantasies could only stretch as far as exaggerated versions of their own lives—leading to laughable notions like the "emperor's golden hoe" or "ten large pancakes for a meal."
As for gods? They dared not even imagine!
Yet this movie laid bare the private lives of the upper class with the most direct visuals! Not only did it satisfy commoners' fantasies, but it also brought to life stories that countless people had only heard in whispers.
The Undead Lord's ruthless cruelty, the Undead Dragon's merciless savagery, the king's desperate love for his daughter, the mercenary's fearless bravery, and his heartfelt romance with the princess—culminating in the God of Contracts ensuring their happy union.
All of this fulfilled the greatest desires of commoners—marrying a beautiful noblewoman, becoming a king, and reaching the pinnacle of life!
Thus, from the moment of its release, the movie exploded in popularity!
Reviews were overwhelmingly polarized.
Mages nitpicked relentlessly, while commoners praised it endlessly.
But since mages were few in number, the overall reception became an extreme, overwhelmingly positive explosion of acclaim!
Not just on the internet—even the Dark Web was flooded with discussions.
On internet Q&A platforms, five out of the top ten trending questions were about the movie!
Some mages couldn't fathom why commoners adored it so much.
Others debated the finer details of the film.
Beyond online discussions, many users rewatched it once, twice, even three times—and still couldn't get enough.
For a multiverse that could be called a cultural wasteland, every element in this movie was fresh and exciting, ensuring viewers never grew tired of it!
Some tavern owners, quick to spot the opportunity, even hired staff to screen the movie on loop, 24/7!
Sure, anyone could watch it online—but plenty still preferred the lively atmosphere of a packed tavern.
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