The Healing Solaris Cleric-Chapter 322: The City of Culture (2)

When Kai got to the Celestial Garden, two girls dressed up in fancy outfits were waiting for him.

“Kai!”

As soon as Helik saw Kai, she ran up to him with a bright smile, while Cal Rashya gave a polite bow with a gentle smile. She was so well-mannered.

She’s a god, she doesn’t need to treat me this respectfully.

Kai turned his head to look at the red dress Helik was wearing. It was a high-quality dress made by Wisdom, the clothing brand his parents had launched in MID Online. Of course, since it was a family sponsorship, the price was free.

Kai clapped like a seal and praised her. “Wow, you’re pulling off that elegant outfit perfectly. Our Helik looks truly beautiful today.”

“Really? Do I really really look beautiful?”

“Of course.”

“Hehe.”

Easily flattered, Helik made the glow above her head sparkle to show she was in a good mood.

“Cal Rashya, you look beautiful as well.”

“Thank you.” She lifted the hem of her blue dress gracefully with one hand and curtsied.

“Oh, by the way, is Ha-Rin not coming with us? I haven’t been able to get in contact with her.”

Even on the Tuesday they had planned to go volunteer together, she hadn’t made contact, so he had gone alone for the second week in a row.

“Ha-Rin is undergoing a trial.”

“A trial?”

As Kai tilted his head in confusion, Cal Rashya also gave a slightly unsure expression.

“I told her she didn’t need to, but she insisted on proceeding honorably...”

“I see.”

What a truly righteous woman. If she had just used the guide ring he gave her, she could have skipped all that and completed her job class change.

“Then I suppose it’ll take a bit more time for her to become your apostle.”

“Yes, but she’s very capable, so she’s doing quite well. Thank you again.”

“No worries. Anyway, if you’re both ready, shall we get going? I think we’re running a bit late.”

“We’ve been waiting forever for you.”

“We didn’t wait that long.” After saying that, Cal Rashya looked at Helik and chuckled softly. “Though, Helik was whining about wanting to see you the whole time.”

“I-I did no such thing! K-Kai! That’s slander!”

Helik shook her head with a flustered expression, and Cal Rashya held back a laugh as she watched her.

Then Kai replied, “Okay, I’ll believe you. Then let’s get going. Oh, and as we discussed earlier, what are your identities again?”

“I’m Helizabeth. Your distant younger cousin.”

“I’m Rashya. Helizabeth’s childhood friend.”

“Perfect.”

Kai wore a satisfied smile, pleased with their self-introductions, and extended his hand out. As Helik and Rashya took his hand, they were instantly transported to a bustling city alleyway.

“Wow, what are all these pictures?”

“They’re so pretty.”

The alley they were in was nothing like the dirty backstreets of a typical city. The countless pieces of graffiti drawn on the pure white walls lining the alleys reminded them once again that this city was a place of cultural freedom.

As Helik looked at the beautiful, free-spirited artwork, she tugged on Kai’s sleeve and urged him, “I want to paint something here too. But let’s look around elsewhere first.”

Even Rashya, who was more mature, looked up at Kai with eyes that asked to be shown more places quickly.

“Alright, let’s go.”

Although it wouldn’t happen, Kai summoned Holy Chains, wrapped it once around their waists, and tied it to his own. It was the ultimate anti-lost-child solution!

Of course, Helik grumbled with a dissatisfied look. “What is this?”

“Just in case you get lost.”

“Isn’t this completely ridiculous? Do you think I’m a child?”

Calming grumbling Helik was simple.

“Alright, this is the plaza, Helik.”

As they stepped out of the alley, a clean and massive plaza came into view. It was already filled with a crowd who had heard the rumors and come to see it.

“Portraits drawn here! My drawing skill is Intermediate Level 5! I’ll finish in five minutes! Just 5 silver!”

“Get your name engraved on your gear! Want a personal touch? Come on over! Only 20 silver!”

“A level 230 bard is giving buffs through singing! I’ll sing every 50 silver earned!”

It was a scene no different from that of a festival. Energy poured out of the plaza, overflowing with liveliness and excitement.

Helik and Rashya watched it all with sparkling eyes.

“W-wow, is this the City of Culture you made?”

“I looked it up in advance. This place is called Haveros, right?”

“Yes.” Kai, forgetting entirely about the Holy Chain, led the two overly excited girls toward the meeting spot. “Let’s go watch the concert first. They’re probably waiting for us.”

“Kai, I want cotton candy. I’ve waited a whole week just to eat it.”

“Okay. They sell it at the concert venue too.”

“Then let’s hurry.”

The place they arrived at was a giant dome. A massive concert hall capable of accommodating over 20,000 people, and yet, all the seats were already filled.

“Wow. I’ve never seen this many people before.”

“Me neither.”

“Well...”

They might be called gods, but most of the gods in MID Online spent their time in their own islands.

Sometimes, it’s hard to tell if they’re gods or just shut-ins.

Among those gods, there were two who were the ultimate introverts. One was Helik, and the other was Cal Rashya.

“Ugh... Kai, I feel like I can’t breathe.”

“Me too. It’s too crowded, it’s making me dizzy.”

The two shut-in girls turned pale at the overwhelming crowd and hid behind Kai.

“Then let’s go to the backstage area. Only staff are allowed there, so it should be a lot quieter.”

On the way there, he bought them each a cotton candy, and they started giggling like nothing had ever upset them.

“Ah! Lord Kai, you’re here.”

“We were just doing a final stage check.”

Waiting for them backstage were Spielbucks and PureCEO, who politely bowed their heads. Their expressions were slightly more tense than usual.

Well, today is judgment day.

For them, today was essentially exam day. Today, Kai would decide whether to continue supporting them or not.

“Relax, both of you. It’s written all over your faces.”

“Haha... You noticed? I guess it’s been a while since I felt like this. I’m confident, though,” PureCEO replied with an awkward laugh, then looked down and noticed the two girls hiding behind Kai’s legs. “But who are they...?”

“Oh, just a distant relative and her friend. You two should introduce yourselves.” Kai gently patted their heads.

In response, Helik slightly pouted but still gave a polite bow. “Greetings, I’m Helizabeth.”

“I’m Cal Rashya.”

“Oh!”

PureCEO and Spielbucks’s gazes changed in an instant. It was the look of someone who had just discovered a pearl buried in the mud, no, more like a raw diamond that was sparkling in plain sight.

“Do these young ladies have any plans to start acting as child actors?”

“What about idol training? In just a few more years, they’ll probably look even more beautiful.” freewebnσvel.cøm

Yeah, nope. Even after a few years, they’ll both still look like little kids.

Of course, Kai couldn’t say that out loud, so he shook his head. “Haha, unfortunately, neither of them are really interested in—huh?”

Kai turned his head when he felt a tug on his left sleeve.

Helik, who had been pulling on it, looked up at him and said, “I’m good at acting.”

“You’ve never even done it before...”

“You said I was good during the doctor and patient game.”

“Well, that was...”

He was obviously just being polite. Putting personal feelings aside, Helik’s acting skills were absolutely terrible.

“Oh! Then could you show us a quick example?”

Excited, Spielbucks encouraged her, and Helik cleared her throat, pretending to hesitate, “Ahem, then I shall perform a short piece.”

With a somewhat serious expression, Helik looked up at Kai and began to act. “Where is the cola you were supposed to bring me, sir? I am thirsty—fetch it at once!”

That wasn’t acting. She just seemed actually thirsty.

However, Spielbucks appeared to take it differently. “I-I can’t believe it. For someone that age to deliver such a commanding tone so perfectly...”

“Huh?”

“My lord, we must have this girl act. She has a natural talent for it.”

“No way... She’s actually terrible at acting.” Kai whispered the last part into Spielbucks’s ear, making sure Helik couldn’t hear it.

But of course, Spielbucks didn’t believe him. “But you saw her perform just now, didn’t you? She’s a prodigy.”

“She is a prodigy, yes, but not that kind of prodigy. More like... a natural disaster.”

Once again, Helik’s acting skills were disastrously bad like a natural disaster.

Just as Kai was about to make some kind of excuse, he looked at Helik and clapped. “Oh! And what about the glow above her head? Isn’t that way too eye-catching?”

“This? I can turn it off.”

Helik turned off the glow that always shined above her head, then looked up at Kai as if to suggest there was nothing he could say now.

“Wow.”

Kai wondered if she had always been able to turn that thing on and off.

Shocked, he quickly shook his head. “Still no. No acting, no singing.”

“Well, if you say so. We’ll have to respect it.”

The two men swallowed their disappointment and checked the time.

“Ah, the play should be starting soon.”

“No issues, right?”

“Everything’s perfect.”

Director Spielbucks assigned the lead roles of the play to the merfolk and elves, and for the supporting and extra roles, he cast a large number of actors he personally knew. In other words, this play was a collaborative production between NPCs and players.

I’ve been looking forward to it.

He was curious to see how the play, which he had only loosely outlined and handed over, had turned out. After all, he hadn’t interfered at all because he entrusted everything to the two of them.

“Let’s head over now.”

Spielbucks and PureCEO led Kai’s group up to the third floor. The dome-shaped theater was divided into three sections. General seating on the first floor. Premium seating on the second floor. And finally, the VIP room on the third floor.

The VIP room had windows under magnification magic, allowing an even better view of the stage than the first floor seats. In addition, four magical speakers infused with sound amplification magic had been installed.

“I’m looking forward to this.”

“My heart is starting to race.”

Seeing a play live for the first time in their lives, the goddesses admitted they were nervous.

“What’s the attendance like among the nobles?”

At Kai’s question, Spielbucks read a report, “Thanks to your influence, the turnout among nobles is very high. They bought up these expensive VIP seats without hesitation.”

“Well, of course. They’re nobles.”

There was no way they would sit side-by-side with the adventurers they usually looked down on.

“Sixty-seven barons, twenty-two viscounts, and lastly, a man named Count Meniff attended.”

“That’s a lot.”

Ever since Kai had been promoted to Count, every word he spoke carried tremendous influence. This time was no different. Even before the City of Culture opened, Kai had consistently used his influence to promote it.

That’s probably why it’s this busy on day one.

Of course, if the newly transformed Haveros turned out to be underwhelming, the people who visited today would never return.

That was why he asked, “Are you confident that the audience will want to return after watching the play?”

To that question, Spielbucks replied with a big smile, “I told you, didn’t I? A professional doesn’t prove with words.”

“Indeed, you said professionals prove through results.”

“Yes. So please, watch for yourself.”

Director Spielbucks, brimming with confidence, looked toward the stage, and the lights that had been brightly illuminating the dome began to turn off one by one. At the same time, the thick orange curtains covering the stage slowly parted to both sides, and a stunning set replicating the capital of an empire came into view.

Territory residents who came to see the play without much expectation, nobles who visited Haveros specifically to get onto Count Kai’s good side, players curious about what it would feel like to watch a play inside a game—all kinds of people were mixed together, but every single gaze focused on the stage.