Chapter 516 - 324: Zog’s Tourism Revenue is Less Than Ideal (2)

'It really is a bit strange.'

Elsa composed herself and pushed the door open, stepping inside.

The bar was booming and nearly packed. A band was performing inside.

They were playing a song Elsa had never heard, but judging by the genre, her outfit fit the vibe perfectly.

A lot of bands get their start by playing regular gigs at bars.

The perfect choice for a small band's debut!

Besides, most bar patrons weren't that picky about the background music.

As long as you can rock out to it, it's a good song.

Of course, for the vast majority of bands, a bar gig was also the biggest stage they would ever play on.

Music was an industry with a low barrier to entry, but once you were in, it was just one hurdle after another.

In less than thirty seconds, Elsa had already befriended a few people at the bar who were dressed just like her.

She decided to take aim at the most popular band.

Underground Discard.

The most popular bands are usually the ones most hated by self-proclaimed "indie music" aficionados.

They hated them now as much as they had loved them back when the band was still underground.

And their go-to complaints were exactly what Elsa said next.

She let out a sharp whistle—where she'd learned to do that, she had no idea—and said, "They're pretty good. Way better than Underground Discard is now. Those guys changed after they got famous. They're getting more and more pop, not rock at all."

Her words immediately drew a chorus of agreement.

"Exactly! Bullshit rock. They're just a pop band!"

"No rock spirit at all. They got rich and sold out!"

"Anyone who still listens to Underground Discard is just a follower!"

And just like that, Elsa quickly blended in with the bar's crowd.

'Hope Xiaode doesn't mind.'

She was on pretty good terms with Xiaode, the lead singer of Underground Discard.

'This is all for the sake of my lost year-end bonus.'

After getting familiar with the people there, they all joined in to trash several popular bands for "selling out."

After about ten minutes of bashing bands, Elsa finally got to the point.

"Hey, guys," she started, "since we're all out to have fun, why are you all just staying in this bar?"

"What's wrong with a bar?"

"I just mean, there are bars everywhere, and they're all pretty much the same—cocktails and rock music. But we're in Deepwater City, a place you don't get to visit every day. Why not go check out other parts of the city? Isn't this supposed to be a special Devil-themed city or something?" Elsa nudged the conversation forward.

"Ha, you must be new here. The Devil-themed stuff is boring as hell!"

This was clearly the consensus in the group, as everyone voiced their agreement.

In fact, they seemed quite dissatisfied with Deepwater City's so-called Devil theme, growing a bit indignant just talking about it.

"Yeah, I just got here. I dropped off my luggage and figured I'd grab a drink and ask around about what's fun to do."

"Don't bother, there's nothing good. Except for..."

"Doomsday Warrior!" another person chimed in loudly.

"Yeah, Doomsday Warrior is decent, it's awesome. If you like Shadow of Evil, the Demon Shadow Festival is worth checking out. But everywhere else? There's zero Devil vibe. The Devils here are actually more civilized than I am, can you believe it? I went to a Devil-themed bar, and the Devils inside were wearing little formal suits! When they saw me walk in, they lined up and shouted, 'Welcome!'"

He grew more agitated as he spoke, downing a large gulp of his drink before continuing. "They used the formal 'you'! Can you believe it, a bunch of Devils using the formal 'you'? Weren't they supposed to be a warrior race? Weren't they supposed to be violent and wild? How the hell did they defeat Villain's army acting like that!"

"So you're saying the Devils here are too civilized, and that's why it's no fun?" Elsa ventured, summarizing.

"Of course! What's the point of a civilized Devil!"

"Wow," Elsa couldn't help but say.

'These Devils probably don't want to be this civilized either,' she thought. 'But if they weren't, they'd probably be taking a swim in lava.'

After bidding farewell to her new friends at the bar, Elsa visited several other bars outside hotels, as well as the rest and recreation areas near the Demon Shadow Festival venue.

The results were the same everywhere she went.

Tourists generally agreed: civilized, well-mannered Devils were just plain boring.

And the so-called Devil-themed districts weren't worth visiting.

To verify whether this sentiment was shared by all tourists, Elsa even started a hashtag on Weibo.

#DeepwaterCityIsBoring! #DevilsArentDevilish

She then contacted the site operators to get it pushed to the top of the trending topics.

The hashtag was soon flooded with comments from tourists who had visited Deepwater City.

Her suspicions were completely confirmed.

People really didn't like "well-behaved" Devils.

Taking these results, Elsa reported back to Zog.

Zog's brow furrowed as he read her conclusion. "So you're saying it was a mistake for me to have Asmodis keep the Devils in line?"

The tourists came in droves to see the stereotypical Devils, and they were sorely disappointed when the reality didn't match the cliché.

"They don't want real Devils. They want the romanticized, artistic version of them," Elsa added.

"That makes sense."

Zog nodded. 'No one on Feilin would possibly like Devils in their raw, primitive state from Hell.'

So what they wanted wasn't a real "warrior race," but a performed, exaggerated, yet harmless version of one.

'Perhaps what Deepwater City needs,' he thought, 'is to turn the Devil-themed district into one giant stage.'

"Contact Asmodis."

The Lord of Hell appeared moments later, looking quite pleased.

"Hey, Zog! Did you see? There's a trending topic on Weibo saying Devils aren't devilish! Hahaha! My efforts have finally paid off! To think so many people feel we Devils are civilized... We're civilized! Hahaha..."

"Ahem," Zog coughed awkwardly. "Er, actually, Elsa was the one who started that topic."

"Oh, is that so? Then my thanks to Elsa... No!"

Asmodis suddenly performed a perfect courtly bow. "My deepest gratitude to the honorable and beautiful Lady Elsa."

A perfect case of leading by example.

"Well, here's the thing," Zog said. "My thinking on this has changed. I want you to tell your Devils to stop being so civilized."

"What?" Asmodis asked, stunned. "Did I hear you correctly? We've worked so hard just to make a little improvement in the Devils' reputation."

"No, no. I'm not suggesting we let the Devils go back to being public enemy number one, a symbol of fear everyone wants to destroy."

"Then what?"

"Do you remember Feilin Wrestling Entertainment?"

Zog was referring to a show he and Asmodis had agreed to produce back when they were in Hell.

It was a unique show, focused on performance with combat as a secondary element, packed with the dramatic conflict of a serial drama but presented entirely inside a wrestling ring.

"Of course. That was the Devils' first hit show. A lot of the Great Devils gained huge fan followings from it."

"The Devils people want to see are the ones from that show. They're aggressive, but they know how to pull their punches. The fights look intense, but they're not lethal. And they have principles. *That's* the kind of 'warrior race' people love."

Asmodis understood.

Indeed, that persona was much closer to the Devils' true nature than their current one.

The code of civilized conduct had already stirred discontent among many Devils; the act was exhausting. While the wrestling entertainment persona wasn't entirely real either, it was much closer to their true selves.

Besides, people liked that kind of Devil.

"So, your idea is?"

Zog smiled. "Give the people what they want. Why can't the entirety of Deepwater City be one giant wrestling entertainment stage?"

It dawned on Asmodis.

"How exactly do we do that?"

"What's the biggest stereotype people have about Devils? A bunch of Dukes, carving up territory, constantly fighting. So, we can divide Deepwater City into several territories, ruled by selected 'mock' Dukes. They'll have conflicts and feuds with each other."

"Like gangs?"

"Yes, but a glamorized version of gangs."

'Real gangs are no good,' Zog thought. 'Every last one of them is nothing but an animal.'

"These Devils have to be principled. Each Duke needs their own code; that's what makes them charismatic. When conflicts break out, the area must be cleared. It's a performance, after all. There can't be any real danger, and not a single tourist can be harmed. Safety must be guaranteed."

"I understand."

Zog went over many other important details, hammering out the initial "script" with Asmodis.

'Now that we have a stage and actors, we just need some publicity.'

Zog's idea was to have a "war bulletin" of sorts, a publication dedicated to reporting on the "battlefield situation" between the city's factions.

It couldn't be a stuffy, formal newspaper.

He suddenly recalled the *Sunlight Newspaper* that had interviewed Lavin the other day. It seemed to be a tabloid, and its owner looked quite capable. Worth investing in.

"Alright, Elsa. Contact the owner of the *Sunlight Newspaper*. I want to invest in his paper and increase its circulation. And pre-book a front-page headline story. We'll call it: *Deepwater City—The Most Dangerous City on the Continent*."