Darkstone Code

Chapter 1060 - 1058: Art Is Just Art

Some people have never encountered art, but when they see it expressed concretely, they know at first glance that this is art!

The audience’s emotions were captivated by the opera performers’ body movements on stage; their lines, lyrics, and the rich or plaintive voices touched the soft hearts of each audience member!

Lynch was no longer attracted by simple skin colors or the surface ups and downs of bodies; he started to genuinely focus on the content of the opera.

Some art seems somewhat sensual, but art is art. Even if it’s sensual, it’s sensual art.

Some sensuality might look like art, but in the end, sensuality is just sensuality, and it cannot change its vulgar, base nature. So no matter how well it’s packaged, it cannot become art.

If you ask what the big difference between the two is, it might be the power to evoke emotions.

Artworks cause a kind of empathy from within, immersing you into the emotions of the art creator during creation.

Angry, sad, painful, joyful... while appreciating art, you can also feel the power the creator hopes the audience will feel!

And sensuality, it can only ignite people’s desires from within, ugly desires!

So, this is art, not sarcasm; this is truly art!

Austin was also quickly drawn into the story. At the end of the Chapter, she let out a heavy breath, "Maybe... this is the feature of their performance?"

She hadn’t seen an opera before, but she knew this was definitely not sensuality; she was completely absorbed into the storyline, unknowingly.

At this moment, she was still worried about what would happen next in the story.

As for whether this was their performance feature, it had become unimportant.

Austin observed the other seats, curious, "What are those people doing?"

Lynch looked around, and beside many seats, there were some waiters.

The seating in this opera house was not crowded; they wouldn’t be pressed together. In fact, the seats were a bit sparse, each in a separate section, but all in the best viewing positions.

Surrounded by many waiters, Austin was somewhat puzzled.

Lynch slightly raised his hand, and the waiter who was paying attention to their side immediately walked over with a tray, "Mr. Lynch..."

On his tray was a piece of paper and a pen. Lynch picked up the pen, wrote a random number, checked a box with printed content, and then put the pen back.

After the waiter left, Austin asked, "What exactly was that paper on his tray for? I still don’t quite understand."

"Some people might be very interested in those actors. You know, the fetishes of wealthy people are always so strange."

"They might be really fond of a particular role, wishing to have a deeper connection with the character."

"Regardless of who’s proactive or passive, or who’s on the receiving or giving end."

"So after each Chapter ends, if you’re interested in them, you can choose an actor, check their character, and write down how much you’re willing to pay for it."

After listening, Austin habitually fell into silence, feeling like her world view was collapsing.

She wasn’t looking forward to the rest of the story at all; just the thought of these actors possibly entering different rooms after the performance made Austin a bit queasy.

The anticipation and admiration for these artists disappeared.

"Just now...," she made a writing gesture, seemingly asking Lynch what he filled out earlier.

"Empress, don’t you find it interesting?"

Austin pursed her lips with a face saying "I knew you’d be different from others," "I thought you chose the Princess."

"Only in your dreams!", Lynch responded with a chuckle.

The next Chapter did not have the previous characters; it was content from another scene.

This is also one of the reasons why opera can sometimes be hard for everyone to accept; sometimes its narrative style is chaotic!

For experienced opera fans who are not familiar with every script’s content or people hearing an opera for the first time, they might not know what these people are performing or the relationships between characters.

And those screenwriters and writers with revered positions in the industry seem to have veered off track, constantly using various descriptions to "show off," ignoring whether people can understand their expressions.

Recently, some new voices in the opera world suggest that opera should be something everyone can understand to be correct.

Excessive pursuit of artistry, various metaphors, actually become barriers to the popularization and development of opera!

Once the old generations of steadfast, opera-loving people depart, opera will ultimately wither away.

But the advocacy of these people has no practical value because those who hold industry discourse power are not these reformists.

After listening to the opera for a while, the two left the opera house around six o’clock.

For Austin, this was an exceedingly rare experience; her life used to be simple, battling with those smugglers.

The smell of gunpowder and ammunition drifting after explosions was all she knew, she had never enjoyed an opera until today.

She thought if there was a chance in the future, she would go to see an opera again. It was a bit more interesting than watching movies, and it would be even better if the actors were fully clothed!

After declining the guide’s assistance, the two of them started strolling around the streets. There was still over an hour before the event, so they wandered leisurely.

Today, all the expenses here were covered by Paradise Island Company. It seemed like they might lose quite a bit of money because all the shops on the island were top luxury brands.

Any random product could easily run into five or even six figures; quite a few invited guests had arrived, and just a few purchases from these people could significantly hurt Paradise Island Company financially.

But in reality, such things wouldn’t happen. If a millionaire stooped to petty tricks for a few thousand dollars, they couldn’t have become millionaires!

Even if they liked a product, they would pay for it themselves!

Everything here was telling everyone that Paradise Island would become a special place.

"What do you think about this place?"

Lynch proactively asked the question, "Maybe there are some issues we can collaborate on."

Austin thought seriously for a while and felt that Lynch was trustworthy.

Firstly, he himself was a consultant for the Security Committee, which in itself explained a lot since not just anyone could obtain such a position.

Secondly, he had always had good relations with Mr. Truman, the President, and the Ministry of Defense; in the eyes of the Federation’s upper echelons, he held a unique status.

Lastly, Lynch was a responsible, just person with principles and ideals!

She felt she could tell him.

"Recently, they are pursuing some cases related to human trafficking. They’ve been following a lead that led them to Paradise Island, which is why they assigned me to check out the situation here."

Austin truthfully explained, though she didn’t go into much detail.

They received reports from some informants saying that Paradise Island had externally acquired a large batch of elite slaves and secretly shipped them to the island.

It was well-known that some within the Federation were still keeping slaves and using them in abusive circumstances.

Especially in the Northern Region and Western Region, as well as certain Aboriginal Reserves, this was a sort of unspoken secret.

Those slave owners were cunning. They wouldn’t easily reveal these practices in public; they wouldn’t let people know they were still using and abusing slaves.

This didn’t align with their interests and could trigger strong public protests from the lower societal classes, so they would use them far from public view.

Bupen was different; just from the map, you could see it wasn’t far from the President’s Mansion, the Ministry of Defense; this area was the core of the Federation.

If something related to slavery was exposed here, the Federation’s image internationally would suffer greatly.

This was precisely what the Federation could least afford; they were actively trying to bring more people to their side, always playing the role of "Friends of Justice."

If they exposed a scandal internally, the image they cultivated would be ruined!

The investigation was part of the reason; another was that the Federation Government, especially the Security Department, wanted to eliminate Paradise Island’s "independence."

As long as they could prove that Federation citizens were harmed on this island and that Paradise Island Company or someone was involved in heinous crimes against human morals and ethics, then under the Federation’s leadership, launching a crackdown on "international crime" would be perfectly justified.

Arresting Horn, dismantling Paradise Island Company, and then taking the place over, eliminating this uncontrollable factor completely, wouldn’t that be perfect?

Some big shots had no objections either; the Federation Government guaranteed that it wouldn’t infringe on their privacy and would protect their legal rights according to the law.

That’s why they’re willing to provide money voluntarily but bear no responsibility whatsoever—

Many might have invested millions, yet they flatly refused to hold shares in Paradise Island Company, so they wouldn’t have to bear joint liability.

They could even claim themselves as "victims" and file claims against Paradise Island Company to reclaim their investments and also get a villa for free!

Capitalists are never philanthropists; when they give without expecting a return, their demands will certainly exceed everything visible on the table!

After listening to what Austin said, Lynch didn’t hold out much hope.

Horn definitely knew about this; he would have countermeasures ready.

From the name he gave here and his company, you could tell this would become a lawless place, dominated by money, a place ruled by crime and cruelty!

He wasn’t optimistic about Austin and the ideas of the people in the Intelligence Bureau and Security Committee; they were a bit too conceited.

Even though they already seemed to pay a lot of attention, they were still too overconfident!