Chapter 037 Audience Enters
"...Okay, mom, let's stop talking for now. Ticket checking has already started. I'll talk to you when I get back."
In the bustling square, a handsome young man walked slowly with the team, talking to the miniature projector on his wrist.
His name is Tang Wenlin. He is a lucky guy who got a ticket to the Dragon King Festival. He came to Ning'an City a week ago with his luggage to wait. After anxiously wandering around Ning'an for a week, I finally waited for the festival to begin.
Apart from himself, none of his relatives and friends won the prize, so the video has been streaming non-stop since he arrived at the square today. But it's time to end it now. For the solemnity of the ceremony, the authorities strictly prohibit spectators from live streaming, recording, etc.
"Really can't I make a phone call?" Tang Wenlin's mother on the projection was a little unwilling. It was rare that her son was so lucky to come to the scene, but he was not allowed to make a phone call.
Tang Wenlin shook his head decisively, "It's really not possible, Mom, didn't you see the hints along the way?"
A few streets away from the square, there were banners filled with instructions for watching the ceremony. When waiting outside the square, there were people to remind everyone, not to mention the instructions that had already been distributed to each person's wristband.
The authorities have already given such a warning. If you continue to violate it, you will really deserve to be punished.
"Okay, then I'll hang up." Tang Wenlin's mother sighed in disappointment, then hung up the phone instantly.
Tang Wenlin: “…”
The word "goodbye" was stuck in his throat, and he wanted to roll his eyes.
My own mother is still so decisive.
Looking at the progress of the team in front, Tang Wenlin turned off his wristband. He was still quite near the front of the queue and it should be his turn within a few minutes, so he just focused on queuing for the time being.
As the team slowly moved and listened to the excited discussions of the people around him, Tang Wenlin also wanted to find someone to express his excitement with. However, he was not used to actively communicating with strangers. After looking around and hesitating several times, he closed his mouth and moved forward silently.
At this moment, a person from the team next to him accidentally made eye contact with him. He was stunned for a second, forced a smile at him, and took the initiative to talk: "Hello buddy, are you from area A2?"
"Oh, hello." Tang Wenlin also smiled at him in a friendly manner, secretly happy that he finally had someone to chat with. "Yes, I'm from zone A2, are you too?"
Due to the large number of people watching the ceremony, the authorities divided the site into thousands of large and small areas to facilitate the appearance of the scene and audience management.
Tang Wenlin was at the A2 venue of the citizen viewing area. He didn't know which area the person who spoke to him was from. He hoped that they were in the same area so that they could have a pleasant chat later.
Jiang Yongyan's eyes lit up and he answered excitedly, "Yes, I'm also in A2. What a fate." He was obviously very happy to meet a chat partner, and his tone became more warm when he spoke to Tang Wenlin.
"My name is Jiang Yongyan, and I'm from Yuxiang City. What about you?"
"My name is Tang Wenlin, and I'm from Fengyan City."
Yuxiang City and Fengyan City are far apart, one is on the coast and the other is inland. It is a rare fate that they meet here today.
Jiang Yongyan decisively moved closer to Tang Wenlin and started chatting with him in a familiar manner: "How many days have you been in Ning'an? I just came here two days ago and haven't been around."
Tang Wenlin was not used to his warmth, but he didn't reject it either. It was nice to have someone to chat with, and friends were made over time.
"I came here a week in advance, but I don't know much about it. Who has time to visit those historical and cultural sites nowadays?"
He came a week in advance and visited almost all the places, but his mind was not on them. He forgot about them as soon as he looked at them.
But Jiang Yongyan came so late, does he have relatives in Ning'an who can stay with him?
Tang Wenlin asked curiously, "Do you have a place to stay so late?"
"I was lucky. When I was looking for a house online, I met a friend who was about to move out, so I took over the house." Jiang Yongyan said with a smile, denying his guess.
Hearing this, Tang Wenlin felt a little envious. At this time, meeting someone who could cancel the lease and successfully take over the property was rarer than pie falling from the sky.
"You are lucky to encounter such good things."
"I was quite lucky. The guy said he suddenly got in touch with a local friend, so he moved to his friend's house and gave up the rented room."
Jiang Yongyan looked very proud on the surface, but in fact he had not worried about these things at the beginning. After all, his luck had never gone wrong.
"That's great. I fought for a long time to get a hotel room, and the price was so expensive that it hurt me."
When there are too many people and too little food, unscrupulous businessmen raise the prices arbitrarily, and the prices they offer are extremely unfair. If Tang Wenlin didn't want to miss this opportunity, he wouldn't be so willing to spend this money.
Although Jiang Yongyan did not participate in the competition, he also understood the situation, so he patted Tang Wenlin on the shoulder sympathetically and said, "Just think of it as accumulating good luck for yourself. Think about it, you will be able to see the immortal soon, at least the money is well spent."
Tang Wenlin sighed. Fortunately, his family had some savings, so this little money was just a bit painful.
"Let's not talk about this anymore. Let's stand together later. Otherwise, it will feel like something is missing if we just watch the ceremony without anyone to talk to." He turned and invited Jiang Yongyan.
"Okay, I've been holding it in for a long time. You're not allowed to make phone calls after entering the venue, and no one will pick up the conversation when I want to complain." Jiang Yongyan had the same idea and agreed readily.
He would approach Tang Wenlin to talk, with the idea of finding someone with similar interests to talk to and share his excitement.
The two people reached a pleasant consensus and followed the queue towards the ticket gate while chatting.
Because the venue was very close to the front, it was their turn within a few minutes. After swiping their identity bracelets in front of the ticket machine one by one, the two entered the venue and followed the staff's instructions and quickly found their venue.
After randomly choosing a position near the front and standing still, the two people began to look around and observe the layout of the scene.
"My God, this arrangement is simply better than any so-called high-end banquet or ceremony." Looking at the luxurious arrangement around the square, Tang Wenlin couldn't help but exclaimed in amazement.
Everything on display at this festival is so exquisite that it seems to be glowing, with its own sparkling special effects that dazzle the eyes.
Jiang Yongyan was also dazzled. Everything is arranged so perfectly, as if it embodies all the beautiful expectations of mankind.
The two men were stunned by the scene and remained silent for a while. The audience who came in one after another around them also looked at this magnificent festival square, and no one spoke for a long time.
However, everyone is a well-informed modern person. After a few minutes of silence, they came to their senses and their emotions became even more excited.
"The country has really invested a lot of money." Jiang Yongyan stood on tiptoe and peered at the altar in the middle of the square. It was filled with famous specialties from all over the world, and each one was as perfect as if it was drawn on a poster.
"I heard that those things were carefully selected from thousands of top-quality products by the country of origin, and then preserved with ice containing spiritual energy and transported to Ning'an by special air line."
This is the most widely circulated rumor on the Internet. It is said to have been revealed by an insider involved in the transportation and has an 80 percent credibility.
Tang Wenlin had also heard this statement. Although it had not been officially confirmed, it had not been denied either, so everyone still believed it.
"Just look at the quality of those things. They are only one in a million."
"This ceremony summons the true Taiyi Immortal, the guardian of the human race, so it must be of the highest standard." Jiang Yongyan was still looking around.
Then he found that except for the ordinary audience who were still entering, the other invited guests had already arrived early.
Tang Wenlin was also observing his surroundings. He looked at the imposing soldiers next to him and lowered his voice unconsciously: "I didn't expect that we would be next to the army."
Jiang Yongyan also cooperated and whispered: "Yes, the location distribution map was not released before, and I was wondering if I would be lucky enough to stand next to the Dragon Group."
When I was next to the army, I felt like I had to be careful about what I said all the time. But it was different when I was next to the Dragon Group. Even if I couldn’t talk to them, it was worth it to see Qiao Ji and Liu Jimeng.
Although the Dragon Group is a national superpower organization, it is not a secret force. Only some scientific researchers are kept secret from the outside world. People like team leader Duan Shi, team members Qiao Ji, Liu Jimeng, Liang Hang, etc. are all semi-public, so everyone is relatively familiar with some basic information about them.
Moreover, due to their special status, Qiao Ji and Liu Jimeng are the country's flagship products, and their external displays are more comprehensive than those of others.
"Everyone has thought about it. There was a survey on the Internet, and 70 percent of people voted that they wanted to be assigned next to the Dragon Group." Tang Wenlin said as he shifted his attention away from the silent army and began to look for the Dragon Group.
As he searched, he complained to Jiang Yongyan: "Tell me, why did the higher-ups insist on naming the only superpower organization in the country 'Dragon Group'? Are they a heavy fan of a certain type of novel?"
Jiang Yongyan also felt that the name was full of flaws. "Who knows? Maybe they think this name can represent our country and nation. But it really has a sense of age." Because of the soldiers next to him, he spoke the last few words in a very low voice, almost in a breath.
However, Tang Wenlin, who was right next to him, heard it and couldn't help but look back at him, and then the two of them smiled at each other tacitly.
Suddenly, someone next to them exclaimed loudly: "I saw someone from the Dragon Group!"
Everyone nearby instantly turned their heads to look in the direction that person was looking, and sure enough, they saw several iconic figures in front of the crowd not far away.
“I can’t see clearly!”
Jiang Yongyan raised his feet to try to see more clearly. However, there were other people blocking the view among them, so no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't see clearly. He could only vaguely see a figure.
The same thing went for Tang Wenlin. No matter how he changed his position, he couldn't see clearly. He could only look at a few figures from behind and guess who they were.
He felt a little regretful, but it was good enough to be able to see a back figure, as most people couldn't even see a back figure.
"Is it okay for Senior Qiao Ji to stand so close to her? She is a ghost cultivator, right?" Tang Wenlin had previously thought that Qiao Ji would not participate in this festival. Not only him, but many people on the Internet also guessed so.
Everyone thought that as a ghost cultivator, Qiao Ji should be most afraid of the existence of extremely yang and extremely strong. Many people simply speculated that she might not participate in this festival.
Jiang Yongyan also saw Qiao Ji's conspicuous back. He squinted his eyes and stared at her carefully for a while, then said, "Actually, they weren't very close to the altar. There were people in front of them. They seemed to be government officials."
"She and Liu Jimeng are treasures of the country, how could they not consider these issues? Since they are standing there, it is estimated that the impact will not be great."
Tang Wenlin thought about it and felt that this was true. The country will not throw away the cards it currently holds just because of a festival.
After watching for a while and finding that there were more and more people and his view was becoming more and more obstructed, Tang Wenlin withdrew his gaze and turned to chat with Jiang Yongyan.
"What do you think the process will be like? The authorities won't reveal anything. There's no location map, not even a description of the festival process. Why is it so secretive?"
Tang Wenlin found it incomprehensible. It was being broadcast live around the world, so why didn't they explain it clearly?
Jiang Yongyan couldn't figure it out either, but it wasn't a big deal. "The official didn't say, but I checked the procedures of some ancient and modern festivals, and they are all similar. The process can be roughly divided into opening the door, welcoming the gods, the first offering, the second offering, the final offering, removing the food, and sending the gods off."
"What do you mean?" Tang Wenlin had not done any research, but he became interested after hearing what he said.
The people nearby also turned to look at Jiang Yongyan, hoping that he could explain it to everyone.
Seeing that everyone was interested, Jiang Yongyan elaborated: "The so-called opening of the door is to open the temple door and allow the worshippers to enter the sacrificial site. The next step is to welcome the gods, which means burning incense and offering sacrifices to convey one's wishes to the gods. The first offering, the second offering, and the final offering are collectively called the Three Offerings. The worshippers must kowtow to the gods three times, read the sacrificial text, and offer the sacrificial offerings. Removing the food is to remove the sacrificial offerings after the previous process is completed. As for the final part of sending the gods off, I don't need to explain it, right?"
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