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

Chapter 270: Chapter 220: The Ringback Tone Business (3)

But then again, it made sense. Elsa was already twenty-two, which was considered late for marriage even in Twin Tower City. Back in her home village, people her age would already have kids old enough to run around.

"So your mom hasn’t pressured you?"

Yuno should have been a prime catch on the marriage market: highly educated, high income, a respectable job, no bad habits, a good age, and above-average looks. Aside from spending all his time with the undead, he was practically flawless.

The fact that he was still single seemed a little strange to Zog.

"She did, but she gave up. Science... that is the partner I’m destined to spend my life with."

Yuno said, full of conviction.

"Whoa," Zog said, surprised. "And that was enough to convince your mom?"

"Not really. The reason I told my mom was that I like men."

"?"

’People who lock themselves in a lab all day are bound to get a little weird,’ Zog thought.

"We’re recording your song for him," Zog said, turning to Galina.

"The phones now have a call function, which lets two people talk to each other. Mr. Yuno here is in charge of it. He’s a bit of an odd talker, but he’s a really good guy."

Almost a year after the phones hit the market, they were finally getting the one function they should have had from the start.

"What does that have to do with recording my song?" Galina asked, completely baffled.

"Well, just like you get a notification sound for a message, a call needs one too. Calls are usually more urgent than messages, so the sound needs to be continuous. A song works well for that."

Zog continued to explain, "For the first batch, we’re picking suitable songs from the show. Besides Elsa’s mom—the one from the Church—yours is a good fit."

"Is my song really that good?"

Galina’s hope was rekindled.

"Not *that* good. A ringtone only plays for a few dozen seconds at most. The chorus of your song sounds pretty good for that long, but any longer is a no-go."

Galina suddenly lost all motivation to record.

"Trust me, ringtones are a great way to get your music out there. They’re not just for incoming calls; they can be used as ringback tones, too. You’ll get a huge cut of the revenue."

"Ringback tones?"

「Factory District, Liquid Bread Tavern.」

This was one of the workers’ favorite places to hang out after getting off work.

The drinks weren’t great, but they were cheap and came in large servings.

Plus, it had a large, color Magic Vision Device—the biggest model available on the market.

The owner was generous, too. As long as there were customers, he’d leave the Magic Vision Device on for anyone to watch.

Unlike some tavern owners who’d shut theirs off when business was slow, grumbling about things like, "Magic Energy Stones aren’t cheap, you know! Running a tavern isn’t easy!"

On top of that, there were a few public phones available to rent for browsing the web.

Old Mike scraped the coal dust off the soles of his shoes outside, then pushed the door open and walked into the tavern.

There was an unusual number of people inside today.

The reason was simple: tonight was the broadcast of the second episode of Feilin’s Best Songs.

The show was incredibly popular right now. If you didn’t keep up with it, you wouldn’t be able to follow any conversations the next day.

His work buddies from the first shift would all gather at the tavern to watch it together. A bigger crowd made for a livelier atmosphere.

Old Mike had cast his vote for Galina. He really hoped to see her in future episodes.

Even though the judges all said her song wasn’t very sophisticated and lacked complexity—that it wasn’t up to par from a professional standpoint.

But he liked it. He wasn’t a professional; he just enjoyed listening to a beautiful young woman sing her heart out.

Working over ten hours a day in the factory was exhausting enough. He was in no mood to appreciate some so-called "professional," "High Level," or "meaningful" piece of art.

He just wanted to listen to something fun and relax.

He’d even used his son’s birthday as an excuse to grit his teeth and buy a Tyrannosaurus Machine, just for the paid-vote ticket that came with it.

His son loved it, and he got the ticket. It was a win-win, aside from his wife nagging him about wasting money.

"After the show is over today, will I get another ticket to vote with?"

He sat down at the bar and asked the man beside him.

"Well, well. Still hung up on your precious Galina? You have any idea what her background is? She wouldn’t give a damn about a little support from you."

"I support her out of appreciation. I don’t need anything from her. Your way of thinking is just shallow."

Old Mike said, turning to the bartender, "The usual. I’ll settle up at the beginning of next month."

"Right, you’re so noble," the man next to him retorted. "But you can’t use the free votes on the same person twice. So much for all your ’appreciation.’"

"Bah! That crafty Zog."

Old Mike gulped down a mouthful of cold beer.

"Hey, quick! Use the tavern’s public phone and give me a voice call," the man beside him urged.

"Oh, give it a rest," Old Mike grumbled. "Stop showing off that phone of yours. If I didn’t have a kid to raise, I would’ve bought one ages ago."

Old Mike was sick of it. Ever since his work buddy bought the new model, he’d been showing it off to anyone who would listen, apparently not the least bit worried it would get stolen.

"I’ll pay. It’s a new feature, don’t you want to try it?"

As he spoke, he slapped a few Copper Coins on the bar.

Old Mike shot him a glance. It was free to use the web; no reason not to.

"Fine. Where’s that call function?"

"Just do this," his work buddy instructed, guiding him through the steps.

Soon, a call was being placed.

"Now what?"

"Just wait."

The phone let out two beeps—BEEP... BEEP...—and then, suddenly, music started playing.

Old Mike immediately recognized it. It was his favorite song by Galina.

"How... How is it playing from here? I thought you could only listen to songs on that... what’s-it-called... player?"

’I already wanted a phone, but now I want one even more.’

"Tsk, tsk. Impressive, right?" his work buddy gloated. "It’s because I know Magic, of course. Anyone who calls me has to listen to whatever song I pick."

"You know Magic my ass!" Old Mike sputtered.

He shoved the few Copper Coins back at his friend.

"Spill it."

"Heh, just buy a phone and you’ll find out."

"You!" Old Mike raised a hand as if to strike him.

"Quiet down, everyone, quiet down," the owner announced through a megaphone.

"The show is about to start!"