Dahlia corolla (1)

Every day, the gossip column features a contestant, and beauties always attract more attention. Whether it's Doug Tor, Kraft, or Philip, even little April eagerly awaits Mi's reading of the contestants' information. Doug Tor would even go to the Sun City Ring Road to admire the beauties, while Kraft and Philip vied to cut out the pictures from the gossip column and paste them in their rooms. Little April especially loved it when the gossip column's carriage carrying the mountain stones passed by; she would always follow behind it for a while, listening to the music.

Beverly is of mixed race, hailing from the border of the Sea Kingdom like Heina. Her father, a shrewd merchant from the Sea Kingdom, was the lord of Lin City 40, Billis. It's said the two shared a merchant ship and jointly owned the luxurious Lihua Jewelry Pavilion in Sun City. Beverly's mother was a citizen of Sun City, rumored to be so beautiful and charming that she captivated half the city. Some even say that because she couldn't compete with Queen Angnice for the throne, she couldn't marry even a nobleman and had to marry a merchant from the Sea Kingdom, who supposedly already had a family there. Beverly's mother only had one daughter, Beverly, and never had any more children. The son Beverly's father had with him was his eldest son from his wife in the Sea Kingdom. Beverly had a good relationship with this half-brother; he provided her with money, and she helped him navigate the social circles of noble ladies. It's said that Beverly is determined to find a noblewoman to be her brother's wife, but unfortunately, while these aristocratic ladies have accepted plenty of gifts like pearls and jewels, not a single one has agreed to a date. Fortunately, Beverly isn't in a hurry; as long as her brother doesn't get married, he'll have to beg her. Beverly's brother has been buying advertising space for her for a long time. The gossip magazine describes Beverly as having wooden acting skills and being a singer with no intonation or breathiness. The gossip magazine's illustrations also depict her as a wooden figure with only arms and legs. Even little April says, "Her singing is like being scratched by a cat's claws—ah~ ah~~" Little April imitates Beverly's singing style in a high-pitched voice, making everyone at Doug Tor's restaurant laugh.

Princess Denise – the youngest daughter of Queen Angnes, bears a striking resemblance to her father, King Derek III. A student of the royal prima soprano Beth, Princess Denise has already garnered considerable fame even before her official debut, making her the most anticipated and influential contestant of this year's competition. Everyone silently predicts that Princess Denise will undoubtedly win this year's Dahlia Contest; no one has the same connections or talent as Beth.

Mi had met Princess Denise before; she was only ten years old. Mi didn't know why she was participating in such a competition. As a princess, she often participated in parades as a mascot, always receiving enthusiastic cheers from the residents of Sun City. Princess Denise enjoyed these cheers; she loved the limelight even more than her brother, Prince Ryan.

Alice—a humble girl from the West City, born in a workshop, possessed an exceptionally beautiful voice, as clear and melodious as a lark's. At a young age, after hearing a song at the market, she sang along, captivating everyone present. News reached the ears of the manager of the Lihua Theater, who immediately approached Alice's parents and signed a contract. The Lihua Theater would find Alice a vocal teacher, and her parents were forbidden from marrying her off before she turned thirty. Her parents, toiling away in the workshop, disregarded this, happily signing the contract, buying a house, and moving out of the workshop. Fortunately, Alice was only seven or eight years old and not yet ready for the stage. Her parents, having run out of money, had to find other work. Ten years passed in the blink of an eye, and Alice had blossomed into a beautiful young woman, now the Lihua Theater's star performer and cash cow. However, the original contract had been harsh, and Alice's parents didn't receive much from the Lihua Theater. These days, there's a little bit of gossip every day about which theater Alice's parents have contacted, and how much they're willing to pay to poach this star of the Lihua Theater. There's no overt publicity, but the rumors are swirling around.

Dorisse—a noblewoman from the Sea Kingdom, voluptuous and alluring, with a captivating voice, is a pre-selected candidate for this year's "Dahlia" Beauty Contest champion. Dorisse is a foreign noblewoman from the ocean, currently thirty-eight years old, in her prime. She holds the title of Ocean Lord and is married to the youngest son of the long-established noble Count Alexander. However, because Dorisse is already married, she has lost her chance to compete for the Dahlia Beauty Contest. The Dahlia Beauty Contest requires excellent singing skills, while the Dahlia Beauty Contest requires women to be single and unmarried; engaged women are also disqualified. Gossip news describes Dorisse as: a treasure from the sea, with hair as dazzling as the sun, eyes as blue as the sea, skin as white as pearls, and lips as red as dahlias. Anyone who has heard Dorisse sing is captivated by her voice, and anyone who has seen Dorisse in person is amazed by her beauty. This is not a beauty of this world; she is a fairy from the Sea Kingdom.

Lord Ellen, possessing a perfect mezzo-soprano voice, is a rising star not to be underestimated. Among all the contestants, Lord Ellen receives the least introduction; both her appearance and voice are rare. She is one of only two singers whose photos haven't been sold publicly; the other is Princess Denise. Gossip news reports on these two only mention two lines: Princess Denise, soprano, from the Derek family; Ellen, mezzo-soprano, heir to the lordship. There are no other news articles to refer to, not even a blurry picture has surfaced, not even an age; both exude an "unspeakable" background and connections. Precisely because of this, very few people voted for this year's Grand Singer of the Year in the gambling dens—nothing more than the absence of both Princess Denise and Lord Ellen on the shortlist.

Kara—from the Snow Theater, the only theater renowned for its martial arts prowess, founded by the Adventurers' Guild, which also stages various adventure stories. There are conflicting accounts about Kara; some say she's of longevity, others that she has giant blood. News reports about Kara are also rather vague, but reports on contestants from the Snow Theater have always been vague, tacitly assuming this is to give face to the Adventurers' Guild. Every year, the Snow Theater sends contestants who neither sing nor dance, consistently embracing a clean and efficient style, just like Queen Angelis in her prime. If only women were to vote, the winner of the dahlia crown would undoubtedly be a Snow Theater contestant. This year's Kara is no exception: short, neat hair, a broad forehead, bright and deep eyes, a cold, almost indifferent expression, a straight nose, tightly closed lips, a disdainful demeanor, and swift, powerful movements. Snow Theater contestants neither sing nor dance; their stage presence is solely for fighting, the kind that brings imposing opponents with them. Every time it was the Snow Theater's turn to perform, the cheers were the loudest; the adrenaline-pumping excitement was something that a song or a dance could never achieve. Kara's performance was indeed eye-catching, but her vote count wasn't high, and no one could say for sure why.

Mi loves the Snow Theater the most. Sometimes they put on an entire adventure story, and even the monsters in those adventure stories are played by locals. The thrill and excitement unique to adventure stories are just as great.

The Snow Theater is currently showing "Wandering in the Snow." Kara and her team of seven set off from Lincheng 2. Pure white feathers flutter down from the theater's ceiling, quickly covering the stage, while a blower from one side stirs the feathers again, transforming the entire stage into a snowy wonderland. Kara and her teammates trek across the snowfield when they encounter a Yeti, a ferocious, bear-like creature with pure white fur. Covered in feathers, the Yeti is thick and large, seemingly twice the size of Kara, and with a single slap, it sends up a cloud of snowflakes.

The entire stands held their breath, as the enormous roar of the Yeti, mixed with the stench of blood, filled the air. Kara drew her sword; the Yeti had thick fur and sharp claws, and soon all of Kara's team were wounded, their clothes soaked in blood.

Kara turned to look at the audience, and everyone was stunned by her gaze—a coldness and resolve mixed with courage and recklessness, utterly devoid of emotion. Kara leaped up, spun in mid-air, gripped her sword tightly, and plunged it into the yeti's head. The yeti roared, ripped Kara away, and threw her to the ground. Kara coughed up blood and fainted. The yeti struggled a couple of times before collapsing as well. The entire theater fell silent.

After a while, Kara stood up. All the actors held hands and bowed to take their bows. The actress playing the Yeti took off her headgear; she was a woman with black hair and black eyes. Mi stared at this actress and felt a sense of familiarity. Thunderous applause rang out from the audience. All the actors had already taken their bows and left, but the audience refused to leave. This was a silent play without any music or singing; the actors moved every audience member with their movements, figures, and eyes. The audience of the Snow Theater consisted of residents of Sun City or visiting merchants. Real adventurers didn't come to see these adventure stories. Mi thought of those three-meter-tall Sandmen; the Yeti on stage must actually be even bigger and more ferocious.

Mi loves the performances at the Snow Theatre and is also very interested in the Dahlia Contest. Although carriages frequently pass by the Dougto Restaurant, they never stop, regardless of whether the songs played are good or bad; they only listen for a few lines before driving away. She bought many photo and sound stones from Toshira and even purchased a Toshira stone player. Now, after work, Mi no longer needs to go to the palace for adventures. Her biggest hobbies are reading gossip, listening to music, and buying photo stones of singers she likes. This year's Dahlia Contest candidates are particularly complex; it's said that even the most bustling gambling dens haven't announced any true contenders for the champion.

Perhaps it was the stability of life, or perhaps the lingering influence of the poet's cane, but Mi, under the pseudonym "Lihua Music Critic," began writing reviews of gossip. Her reviews differed from the petty, jealous pronouncements of others; she analyzed the timbre, the music, and the lyrics meticulously, carefully and sincerely praising the singer's unique qualities. Soon, people came to her door with Golden Derry, demanding she speak favorably of a certain lady, threatening that she could only sing praises for that lady. Mi's temper flared; she stopped writing about merits and began criticizing everything. "Amelinda is always showing off her high notes; the whole song is like a pheasant constantly howling." "Miss Beverly should go home and learn to breathe." "Princess Denise should go to a children's singing competition." "Miss Ellen's singing is devoid of emotion; she's completely wasting her voice." Regardless of Mi's reviews, everyone knew that the candidates for "Dali's Wonderful Voice" were numerous and had complex backgrounds, making the competition almost a foregone conclusion. The people of Sun City were more interested in the "Dali's Beautiful Shadow" candidates—a pure beauty contest.