Eren praised the play for portraying him in a positive light.
The ladies sitting at Eren's round table giggled as Eren made the performers come to him. He talked with them cordially and even offered them perfunctory guidance on their ranking journeys. In the end, he invited them to the city of White Raven.
A new group of performers came on stage. They presented their performance, which told the story of other prominent rankers present at the Edinnica Arena battle.
Everyone at Eren's table watched other groups perform while talking to themselves. They offered applause and gifts whenever needed.
Eren tried to attract as many performers with his gifts. He also sent them invitations to visit his city. What's more? Eren also promised to look after some artists' livelihoods as long as they visited his city and took permanent residence there. Alephee found this very odd. She couldn't help asking him in a low voice.
"You are very spendy tonight. This is not like you. What will you do with these poor artists?"
Alephee asked Eren in a voice coated in curiosity and doubt. The ladies sitting at Eren's table also agreed with Alephee. They divided their attention between listening to performances and talking between Eren and Alephee while acting nonchalantly.
Alephee sat to Eren's immediate right. Her strapless ballgown dress was black as ink, with a voluminous skirt that flowed out from a cinched waist. The fabric was soft and silky, hugging her curves in all the right places. The dress was simple yet elegant, with no embellishments except for a thin silver belt that accentuated her waist.
Alephee's hair was waist-length and jet black, with a distinct sheen that caught the light with every move. Her smooth and supple skin radiated youthfulness, giving her an air of timeless elegance. She was tall and had adequate feminine proportions, giving her a regal and commanding presence.
Alephee completed her look with cone-heel footwear, adding a touch of glamour to her outfit. As she walked, her dress swirled around her in a graceful arc, highlighting her poise and grace. Overall, Alephee was a picture of confidence and sophistication, exuding an aura of timeless beauty, which left a lasting impression on all those who saw her.
Eren looked offended by Alephee's words. He cleared his throat before speaking up in his defense.
"What do you mean, Alephee? I have always appreciated art. Ultimately, it is the food of the soul.
I need to encourage these brats to pursue careers in this field. If every ranker dedicates themselves to rankers' lives, who would look after our mental well-being?"
Alephee snorted at Eren's response before adding on.
"First of all, who are you calling brats? You are not much older than them physically. And secondly, who are you kidding? Spit it out."
Alephee kept things authentic to make her presence feel natural. She severed her mental connection with Eren for the moment. In other words, it was to make her look like a fully distinct individual ent.i.ty rather than a homunculus. Since a Sage was present at the venue, Alephee didn't want to take any chances.
However, doing so made her unable to keep track of Eren's thoughts. This was the first time in a long while she could not tell what he was thinking. It irritated her for no reason. She also understood how treacherous it is for anyone to talk to Eren without the mental connection to help them make sense of his intentions.
Eren scrunched his nose and looked at Alephee stoically. Seeing that she kept staring at him. He sighed and decided to budge. He looked around before speaking in a low voice.
"Well… my reason for inviting these artists to the city of White Raven is not as evil as you might think. This is business.
Bards, musicians, solo and group singers, dancers, and other performers. These people earn a lot during the war. It's because people need some form of entertainment to keep them distracted from the realities of war. And these artists serve that purpose well."
Eren scratched behind his right ear and tugged at his earlobe before speaking up in a matter-of-fact voice.
"I'll just provide a bigger platform and a larger audience for these artists and capitalize on their talent. This war will last for a long time. So this is the right time for me to invest in these artists.
I can a.s.sure you these artists wouldn't get any better opportunity than this to showcase their talent. And having money in their pockets would also help some of them stay on track with their ranking journeys.
Of course, I'll offer them a reasonable cut for their services. At least enough to keep them doing what they love. It's a win-win for all of us."
This was Edinburgh's capital city. So the talent drafted for the Post Grad Ball had to be the most outstanding in the kingdom. Inviting artists like these to the city of White Raven would bring more crowds to his city.
Eren had already started to plan the live plays and concerts in his city with the potential artists he would draw from the invitations. Depending upon the artists' groups and their art forms, he had plans to establish daily, weekly, and bi-monthly programs that could be aired across Edinburgh for a fair pay-per-view price.
This was the reason Eren wanted Steve's legend to grow in Edinburgh. He recognized that Legend of the Boar Berserker. The musical had a high TRP value.
Eren had already zeroed in on someone who could handle this job like a pro. This woman in question could help him manage his latest media venture. It was the same Vixen who tried to trick him when he first entered the capital city. Her name was Viviana Falmas.
Eren could tell someone like Viviana could handle anything related to media and broadcasting just fine. He knew from his personal sources that Viviana had taken Eren up on his offer and was traveling to the city of White Raven. He just needed to convince her to be his media head.
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AN: Viviana Falmas AKA the Vixen was mentioned in chapter 1005.
Also, note that the upcoming chapters with "Poetry Challenge" in their t.i.tles have slice-of-life flavors in them. They can be skipped if one wishes to. In order to get back to our main storyline as soon as possible, they have been released in one go.