Drama, what an ancient and unfamiliar word.
As a noble, Herold did have a slight interest in this form of entertainment, which had been lost since the ancient, prosperous era.
According to legend, when people could eat meals made of meat and vegetables every day,
during their leisure time, they would gather in magnificent halls adorned with countless marble sculptures to watch stories from ancient legends performed by clever and witty actors.
He would have liked drama.
But definitely not with a blade at his throat.
"You have no right to refuse."
Perhaps seeing his resistance, Fulgrim re-gripped her sword hilt and said indifferently.
Instantly, Herold felt a cool sensation on his face.
Subconsciously, he trembled as he touched his cheek.
It was blood.
In that instant, she had precisely drawn her sword, cut his skin, and re-sheathed it.
And he couldn't even clearly see her movements.
Force.
The purest, most primitive display and threat.
Herold couldn't help but swallow.
"Alright... I'll go."
.......
"Boss, Fulgrim is really nice! Not only did she not cause us trouble, she even invited us to watch a drama!"
"A drama! I've never seen one in my life—"
"Shut up, you noisy idiot!"
Following behind Fulgrim, Herold cursed his brainless subordinate in a low voice.
After he was forced to agree to her demands, Fulgrim walked casually through the upper streets of the Fort.
"Fulgrim, where exactly are you taking us?"
"As far as I know, there are no theaters in Fort Karaxis."
Even if there had been, they would have been demolished and destroyed countless years ago.
"Fulgrim?"
She just walked silently ahead, not answering Herold's question.
Until her footsteps landed in the center of the widest upper plaza, where she stopped.
There weren't few people in the plaza.
In fact, not far away, many people from other noble families could be seen waiting there.
"We're not going anywhere."
"The entire Karrakis is our theater."
As her words fell, the electric lights that had illuminated the upper Fort for countless years instantly extinguished.
Silence enveloped everything.
......
"Turn off the lighting equipment, open ventilation panel 29-13."
"【Received】"
"【Sound array system adjusted, outputting according to command】"
"【All existing projection equipment in the factory connected】"
"【Outputting projection】"
Standing in the Fort's internal main control cabin, Kasga, who was adjusting countless Fort equipment buttons, rubbed his temples vigorously.
Currently, his combat ability was not much higher than that of an ordinary person.
If he were to go down and organize an uprising with Fulgrim, he might instead become a burden to her.
Therefore, after entering Karrakis through a secret passage, they split into two groups as planned, with him controlling the Fort's mechanical system to assist Fulgrim in creating a spectacle.
He had also suggested to Fulgrim before to suppress the Fort in a simpler and faster way.
But she flatly refused.
"No. It shouldn't be so simple."
"This is not just our battle to reclaim the Fort; it is also the starting point of our magnificent conquest of this planet, of this vast universe."
"Only the most magnificent, grand, and heroic epic opening can match it."
"And in the future, all scholars, historians, playwrights, or mere spectators who read this history will be captivated and drawn to it."
Her reply was very much in her style.
But for Kasga, it wasn't so pleasant.
According to Fulgrim's plan, she wanted to use a drama to awaken the ideals and dreams in the hearts of all people in Karrakis.
And Kasga was promoted to the role of backstage stage manager for the drama.
Although he wasn't a mechanical expert, during the month he spent learning from Fulgrim, he was still able to operate machinery according to instructions.
"【Campaign C-1... about to begin】"
......
Darkness.
Everything returned to darkness.
"What's going on?"
"Is the power system malfunctioning?"
"Run! Don't wait for that woman to come and chop off your head!"
Beneath the dim plaza, the many nobles gathered there stirred restlessly.
But in the next instant, their hope of escape immediately turned into despair.
Thud!
Heavy isolation walls fell, completely sealing off the passages around the plaza.
"Damn it, what trick is she playing???"
"Not killing us, is it to humiliate the nobles even more!"
Herold angrily pounded the isolation wall.
Even though it remained completely still.
......
At this moment, it wasn't just the upper Fort that was plunged into darkness.
The lower factories of Karrakis were also shrouded in darkness.
"Damn it, why did the power go out!"
"It's over, there's no way we'll finish our quota now."
"Why now of all times..."
Amidst the clamor in the factory, a projection screen slowly descended, almost unnoticed by everyone.
"Brothers and sisters, come and see, what is this?"
As the words fell, just like before the opening of a movie, the entire factory instantly quieted down, with only a few whispers still echoing in the hollow darkness.
What is this?
A large tapestry hanging in the sky?
Wait, colors are appearing on the tapestry!
Accompanied by several exclamations, it lit up, it came alive!
Everything appeared clearly!
Colors!
Colors bleeding onto the tapestry, just like in the real world!
On the originally pitch-black tapestry, a beam of light suddenly appeared, adorned with a graceful silhouette.
"It's Sister Fu Gen!!!"
"This is something Sister Fu Gen taught us, it's called a screen!"
Childlike voices full of pride emerged from beside the workers.
Child labor had returned to Karrakis after Herold took power.
But perhaps it was these children, whose childhoods were steeped in color, who could recognize the shape of ideals and dreams.
"Fu Gen? Didn't she murder Patriarch Sherlock to become a noble, wanting to seize power and control all of Karrakis—"
"You're lying! Sister Fu Gen is a good person!"
Before the person could finish speaking, the child angrily retorted immediately.
"Child, never mind that idiot for now. Quickly tell us, what is Fulgrim doing?"
Why did she suddenly leave all of us, and why is she returning now?
"I... I don't know either."
The child hesitated for a moment.
"But Sister Fu Gen promised us before she left that she would perform a drama for us."
"In the drama, we can hear the most beautiful and interesting stories."
......
Tap, tap.
Her footsteps were slow and clear.
Illuminated by the sole beam of light in the entire venue, Fulgrim slowly walked to the front of the stage.
At some point, she had shed her noble robe and put on the simple clothes commonly worn by workers.
Facing the nobles before her and the countless workers waiting behind the screens, she slowly began to speak.
"Brothers and sisters, the story I tell here is not an epic; just as all causes originate from the past."
Her voice, clear as a nightingale's, resonated, accompanied by the musical piece she had personally composed.
"At that time, the sky was still clear, and endless stars twinkled in the night sky; merchant ships traveling to Chemos flowed like a silver plate adorned with pearls."
Countless materials and wealth, at that time, would all be gathered into their hands; Chemos, in the past, was such a paradise.
Her modulated tone was incredibly gentle; the elegant yet concise words piled upon each other, even the restless enemy Herold was deeply drawn in by it.
"At that time, the people jointly elected several administrators; under their vows and promises, Chemos would forever be prosperous."
"But—"
Fulgrim's tone began to shift. The infectious sadness cast a thin mist over everyone's hearts.
"The universe is so cruel: before people had time to enjoy, surging storms instantly filled the entire sky."
"When one looked up again, the brilliant galaxy was no more; now, the sky holds only surging yellow sands and endless void."
But the people of Chemos at that time did not give up.
"Administrators and workers ate and lived together, everyone united, facing difficulties and obstacles together."
"'No matter what difficulties we face in the future, we will overcome them hand in hand!'"