The Red Dragon Lord is OP, but Insists on a Pop Culture Invasion!

Chapter 248: Chapter 210: This Performance is a Little Too Urban

In the production studio for the *Feilin’s Best Songs* project on Shudian Island, the sounds of a heated argument echoed from the judges’ conference room.

"Do you have any taste at all? You’ve led that opera troupe for nothing all these years, haven’t you? What was wrong with your advisor’s hearing back then to let someone like you graduate?"

"I think this song is actually quite good."

"Good? You call this good? A formulaic arrangement, the same few melodies repeated ad nauseam. And that demo—the vocals are completely raw, with no aesthetic sense whatsoever. The lyrics are vulgar, too."

"It might be simple, yes, but this type of song will probably be very popular with most of the audience. After all, this show is aimed at..."

"Then most of the audience must be tasteless hacks, just like your tin ears. They don’t deserve anything better."

An argument? Arguments were great. Zog loved watching people argue more than anything.

Especially arguments between the elderly. They were filled with a sense of drama that young people just couldn’t replicate. The younger generation usually lacked that I-don’t-give-a-damn attitude, that complete disregard for what anyone else thought.

In short, the sheer audacity to go absolutely nuts.

But the old folks were completely different.

Oh, watching old folks argue was just too entertaining.

A mouthful of aggressive words, delivered with a rhythmic, pulsing flow, never repeating a single insult. It was a true street gangster freestyle, and it was absolutely real.

Sometimes, this would be accompanied by a "war dance"—a slightly crazed, high-frequency, almost convulsive display designed to exert psychological pressure on their opponent.

The intensity of the affair would increase with the size of the crowd, as if the onlookers were building a stage for them, spurring them on to "perform" with even greater fervor.

At a critical, intense moment like this, Zog, of course, had to go and dial up the intensity.

He pushed the door open and walked in.

In the room were three humans and one Elf. The ones arguing were clearly the vice dean and the troupe leader.

The two men, who looked to be in their sixties or seventies, were now red in the face, spit flying as they shouted.

"Let’s discuss the matter at hand. There’s no need for personal attacks."

"You call this a personal attack? I’m merely stating facts. Are you so thin-skinned you can’t even handle that?"

Xiaode and Gelda noticed Zog enter, and they both stood to give a slight bow.

Xiaode looked extremely awkward, unsure of how to handle the situation.

Gelda, on the other hand, was quite calm. She leaned back in her chair, leisurely sipping her drink and watching the two men argue with great interest.

She’d seen plenty of scenes like this. Whenever the nobles of the Northern Domain had a dispute, they’d argue just like this, never daring to actually come to blows.

Perhaps because resources were scarce in the Northern Domain, its nobility hadn’t yet evolved to the version found in more affluent regions—the kind bound by numerous rules, who prided themselves on creeds, oaths, honor, and maintaining a veneer of noble conduct in all their words and deeds.

The two men at the center of everyone’s attention were still at it.

"Is the writer of this song some acquaintance of yours? Ah, you must have taken a bribe, right? Perhaps you even gave this female singer some ’one-on-one, in-depth tutoring’."

His enunciation and tone were dripping with sarcasm, as if he were terrified people might miss the other, more pointed layer of his insult.

The vice dean continued, "Besides, it’s not like you haven’t done this sort of thing with female students before."

The troupe leader rubbed his forehead, looking defeated. He took a moment to steady his breathing before saying, "I know you hold a grudge against me because of what happened with Trish."

"Don’t you dare mention her name!"

’Ooh!’ Zog’s face lit up. He was getting all the juicy gossip.

’Two old geezers, still tangled up in a love triangle from their youth. Is this *Love in the Time of Cholera* or something?’

Zog quietly asked Sir Gordo, who was standing beside him, "Is the relationship between those two what I think it is?"

"Er," Gordo said. Although he didn’t know exactly what Zog was thinking, he still answered, "More or less, yes."

"You hired two mortal enemies to be judges together?"

"In your proposal, you wrote that we should try to add as much conflict to the show as possible. It could be between contestants or between judges, but you said conflict between the judges would be even better. That’s what the audience loves to see."

"I meant you should *script* the conflict!"

"Yes, but the more famous people in the music industry are reluctant to accept a script like that. They think it’s bad for their public image, so..."

"So you found two people who actually hate each other, no script required, and just let them go at it?"

"That was the idea. Looking at it now, I may have overdone it a little. The show hasn’t even started yet, and they’re already about to start a brawl."

Sir Gordo felt he had indeed made a misstep.

"Ahem." Zog coughed twice—the classic entrance for a big boss coming to resolve a conflict. "Why don’t you two stop for a moment? I’d like to hear the piece you’re talking about."

The two old men, in the heat of their argument, turned to look at Zog, finally noticing the Dragon who was actually footing the bill.

"Hah," the vice dean huffed, catching his breath before he spoke. "If you want this show to represent the highest standard of Feilin’s music, you must trust my professional expertise. I have taught at the music academy for many years, and there are few in this world whose musical knowledge..."

Zog waved a claw, signaling for the vice dean to cut the self-praise. "Just play the demo."

The audition requirements for *Feilin’s Best Songs* stipulated that applicants must provide, at a minimum: the sheet music for the lyrics and melody, documentation from the copyright office proving they were one of the original creators, and a vocal demo.

Because the requirements were rather complex, the number of submissions had been quite low during this initial period.

However, according to the copyright office, there had recently been a huge spike in people registering original music, so a massive wave of submissions was expected soon.

After all, the prizes Zog was offering for the show were quite enticing.

Since people in this era didn’t yet fully grasp the earning potential that came with fame, it was necessary to offer tangible, concrete rewards.