Chapter 105: Chapter 104: For the Northern Domain, Become an Idol

Gelda was a bit surprised. Normally, she was only needed when such plans moved to the execution phase. Her duties were similar to those of a chief steward for the Northern Domain.

She wasn’t typically involved when a plan was still in the conceptual, pie-in-the-sky stage.

It was Figxin’s job to give the final approval.

The system of the Sutton Kingdom involved two parallel structures: the Governors and the Civil Servants.

As the Lord and Governor of the Northern Domain, Figxin’s daily work consisted of attending various official events, managing military affairs, and making key decisions.

The tasks of formulating strategies and overseeing their implementation fell to Gelda and her fellow Civil Servants.

This system ensured that if something unexpected were to happen to the Governor, the Civil Servants could temporarily keep the entire administration running.

Furthermore, the appointment and removal of Civil Servants were entirely controlled by the Administrative Officer, which meant a region’s Civil Servants were almost always the Governor’s trusted aides. 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

The relationship wasn’t much different from that between old-fashioned lords and the minor nobility within their fiefs.

The degree of corruption depended entirely on the Lord’s personal conscience, making it a highly unreliable system.

As the highest-ranking Civil Servant in the Northern Domain, Gelda responded instinctively when her name was mentioned.

"Currently, the Northern Domain has approximately four hundred and sixty artisans of a suitable age who possess the Ice Sculpting Skill, over three hundred Snow Sculptors, and twenty-two Mage Apprentices capable of shaping things with the Ice Element."

"I’ll need to know the scale of this Ice and Snow Paradise to estimate the time required."

Gelda was truly an excellent "steward," able to recall all sorts of resource data off the top of her head.

She had no office software to assist her—she was practically a walking database.

"No, no. We can talk about needing artisans later. Right now, I need you," Zog interjected.

"Huh?" Gelda recoiled, flustered. ’Is this the price of colluding with an Evil Dragon?’

’The real Zog probably couldn’t have been more wicked than this.’

"How could you..."

Figxin grew anxious.

But Gelda held her hand, signaling that there was no need to say anything more.

She hesitated for a moment, then took a deep breath. Her eyes hardened with resolve as she said decisively, "If it is for the Northern Domain, then I am willing..."

"To become an idol!"

Zog whipped out a booklet. Its cover read, *Star of the Northern Domain: Gelda’s Idol Marketing Plan*.

"Huh?"

Gelda and Figxin were both stunned.

’They couldn’t begin to comprehend what was going through this Dragon’s mind.’

"What’s with the ’huh’? Didn’t you just say you were willing?"

Zog had thought it would take a lot of convincing. After all, not everyone enjoys putting themselves on display for an audience.

Before he saw Gelda, he hadn’t been sure what the Northern Domain could use for its promotional campaign.

But upon seeing her, the idea of leveraging a star and their fanbase to drive the tourism economy clicked perfectly into place.

’She was gorgeous, she knew Ice and Snow Magic, and she was the cool, sophisticated type.’

’Could you even call that albinism?’

’That was a blessing from the Ice Element!’

’It would be a complete waste of her character design not to have her star in a live-action *Frozen*.’

And through this Shadow of Evil, they could rapidly build awareness for the Ice and Snow Paradise that shared its theme.

’On Earth, it took the real-world equivalent over twenty years of build-up to see that kind of massive traffic explosion.’

A Shadow of Evil could massively accelerate that process.

"No, I... I just..."

Gelda couldn’t very well admit what she’d been thinking. She had mentally prepared herself for a heroic sacrifice, only to be asked to become an idol.

’She had truly misjudged the Great Dragon with her own petty thoughts.’

"Alright," Gelda agreed with a nod. "But could I ask what exactly this ’idol’ business is about?"

She simply couldn’t associate herself with the word "idol."

She had only ever heard of founding Monarchs, Legendary Figures, and historical heroes being treated as idols.

She, on the other hand, was just a girl abandoned by minor nobility. Her abilities weren’t exceptional, and she hadn’t accomplished anything world-shaking.

"You can think of it as a type of entertainer," Zog explained. "Someone who dabbles in singing, dancing, and performing to bring spiritual strength to those who admire and support you."

This was completely different from their understanding of an idol.

’Would people really idolize an entertainer?’

"That’s impossible. I don’t know the first thing about singing, dancing, or performing," Gelda said, waving her hands dismissively.

"You can learn to sing and dance over time," Zog said. "It’s not like we don’t have Tuning Magic. If you can’t perform well live, we’ll just say you’re an up-and-coming talent that fans can watch grow. They’ll support you all the same."

Ever since the Zor Band became popular, the already highly competitive field of Recording Magic rapidly evolved to include more effect adjustments. Now, not only are there a wide variety of timbres, but Tuning Magic has also been developed.

"As for performing," Zog continued, "you’re a Senior Civil Servant in the Northern Domain. You have the gall to say you can’t act? If you couldn’t act, how do you think you schmoozed your way into your current position?"

Gelda managed to hide her embarrassment well.

’Fine, she had to admit Zog had a point.’

"Then how do I become an idol?" Gelda still felt a little embarrassed saying the word.

"Good question. Let’s take a look at the script."

Zog opened the first section of the proposal, which contained the first draft of the *Frozen* script.

He had written it on the fly, so many details still needed to be ironed out, and it didn’t follow a strict script format.

Still, this made it easier for others to understand the story.

Gelda had never seen a Shadow of Evil. Besides Figxin’s game console, the Northern Domain had no access to the newest forms of entertainment.

And that game console didn’t even work.

It was just that Figxin had been singing the praises of the Shadow of Evil ever since she returned from Twin Tower City.

’If they are really as good as she says, a lot of people will definitely be drawn here by the reputation.’

She knew full well how bored many nobles were, spending all their time and money looking for amusement.

Even their short documentary had managed to attract many tourists to the Northern Domain, something that would have been unthinkable in the past.

A tourist’s spending wasn’t limited to entertainment; their food, lodging, and transportation would all generate revenue for the Northern Domain.

Once the Northern Domain had money, many of its problems would be easily solved.

She flipped open the script. The story was short and simple, like a fairy tale.

She had heard the stories of *Holy Mountain Journey* and *Hunting* from Minstrels before.

They were all Shadows of Evil, but this one, titled *Frozen*, was vastly different from the other two.

She couldn’t say which was superior, but she definitely preferred the one she was holding now.

She saw herself in it.

She saw herself in the story: lonely, viewed as cursed, until she was saved by her sister and learned to accept who she was.

Just as Figxin had done for her.

Even though they weren’t actually sisters.

The sisterly bond in the story felt... strangely intimate, but that wasn’t important. She still loved the story.

Plus, with the Ice and Snow Castle from the plot... so that was why Zog wanted to build a theme park. ’What a brilliant idea.’

"I will do my best in this Shadow of Evil," Gelda said with great sincerity.

"Then I’ll arrange for someone to take over your duties. You just focus on the Shadow of Evil," Figxin said, trusting Gelda’s judgment.

Especially when it came to making money. If Gelda agreed to be in this Shadow of Evil, it was sure to be profitable.

"Will we be able to pay off the debt to the Zog Group after filming this Shadow of Evil?" Figxin asked.

"Dream on. The Shadow of Evil is my investment, so any profits are my profits," Zog answered.

"Then how do we pay you back?"

Figxin clearly didn’t yet grasp how much revenue a massive influx of tourists could generate.

"Isn’t there the theme park?" he said. "We’ll split the profits from that seventy-thirty."

"Why only seventy percent?"

"The seventy percent is MINE!"

Zog put his hands on his hips.