Chapter 39: I Have a Dream (Volume 1 End)

  On March 16, 4257 of the Bright Calendar, Baisha City, with its 360,000 citizens, had all newspapers simultaneously report on the same thing in the most eye-catching position on their front pages, each with different headlines.

  "The Great Bambook Street Event - Four Influential Figures Lead Charity Donation Trend"

  The newspaper that took the lead in reporting this incident was indeed "Shen Bao", which has always prided itself on being accurate and objective. They simply reproduced the ordinary people's view of the big event that occurred on Nanjing Road from a bystander's perspective.

  The mysterious old saint warrior, the talented young writer with a genius-level talent, the bloodline banker who possesses an unexpectedly vast fortune, the far-travelled and gold-coin-rich Druid master Lizard, plus the enthusiastic war orphan charity donors... Oh, and that clown-like publisher who lost his face.

  Is all this eye-catching stuff still not enough to guarantee newspaper sales?

  Twenty-three million seven hundred forty thousand Rand zero three pence and nine cents

  This is the headline used by the Baisha Morning Post.

  A reporter for the Ba Shu Morning Post, who witnessed everything that happened on the scene of Bamubu Street from start to finish, after recounting the entire process with words full of praise and admiration, wrote down such a comment in an even more emotional tone:

  "As a journalist, I have witnessed too much darkness and indifference. I thought our world, our country had already been abandoned by the gods of light."

  But just yesterday, on Bambuk Street, the 237,400 rands and 3 pence donated for war orphans made me realize that light and goodness have never left us. They are always here, deep within our apathetic hearts!

  Thanks to Bloodline Banker Solace!

  Thank you, Saint Warrior Andrew Carnegie!

  Thank you, Grandmaster Kanchi Babu Rao!

  Thanks to young genius writer Ma Long - Liszt!

  Thanks to all those who almost emptied their pockets at that time!

  It is these people who let us and those war orphans regain the long-lost love and warmth...

  I Have a Dream

  This is the headline used by the Baisha Daily.

  Their reporters were not on the scene, but they found the four most prominent figures in the first time after the big event through their familiar relationship with Soles.

  Solso was busy with banking business and didn't have time to make a thought-provoking speech during the interview, only saying a few simple words.

  The old saint warrior refused to comment on his own good deeds.

  Lysander Druitt, busy studying the Marauder's "decoded" contents of The Book of Eli.

  Only Ma Long couldn't resist the soft and hard bubbles of the Baisha Daily reporter, and reluctantly published the "I Have a Dream" with its content temporarily altered by him.

  "Over four thousand years ago, three hundred and seven sages founded the Republic of Luoling. The sages made a sacred vow that the people of Luoling would no longer be oppressed and enslaved by the nobility, that the people of Luoling would no longer shed blood and kill each other because of racial differences, and that the people of Luoling would no longer become beggars on the side of the road due to poverty."

  Seventy-seven days ago, the flames of war that had almost engulfed Loraine in darkness finally dissipated with the unconditional surrender of the Helvian Empire and its vassal states.

  But seventy-seven days have passed, and we must face the miserable reality that a life of freedom and happiness has not arrived, at least not for the war orphans. Seventy-seven days have passed, and the war orphans are still living in poverty-stricken slums without hope. Seventy-seven days have passed, and the war orphans are still living in fear and nightmares.

  ……

  So today, I want to tell you, my friends, that despite these difficulties and hopelessness, I still have a dream. This dream originates from the sacred oath of our founding fathers.

  I have a dream, that one day this country will become such a world: "Luoling people take care of the elderly, regardless of their surname; Luoling people love and protect children, no matter if they are their own or not."

  I have a dream that one day on the hills of Ruwa State, children from different races and classes will sit together at the table of brotherly love.

  I have a dream, that one day even Baisha City, this city which is still called "the slum little devil" by the children of the poor district, will transform into a city filled with universal love.

  I have a dream, just now!

  I have a dream that one day our country will become a wonderful place where the children of rich people and poor people can walk hand in hand, like brothers.

  I have a dream, just now!

  Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain. And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.

  ……

  Apart from the above three major newspapers in Baisha City, other newspapers and publications also reported on this rare event from different angles.

  The sales of newspapers can reflect the degree of attention that the citizens of Baisha City pay to this major event on Banmu Avenue.

  This issue of "The Oracle" sold 38,000 copies, second only to the one published seventy-seven days ago which carried the Republic's Chief Executive's nightmarish speech declaring the end of the Great War.

  "Bai Sha Morning Post" sold 743,000 copies, with sales even surpassing the issue from seventy-seven days ago.

  "Baisa Daily", the biggest winner, sold a terrifying 17.9 million copies! Almost equivalent to every two citizens of Baisa City buying a copy of this issue of "Baisa Daily"!

  And almost everyone who buys the White Sands Daily wants to read that article by the genius young writer from the slums, Marlon-Lyster, full of rich fantasy colors and idealism... "I Have a Dream".

  So many people are not buying one or two copies of the White Sand Daily, but rather dozens, hundreds, and even several thousand copies at a time!

  There was a blind war veteran who begged on the street, after listening to others reciting "I Have a Dream" on the street, he took out all his money and bought more than 200 copies of the White Sands Daily, then struggled to hand them out for free to everyone he met.

  "Sir, madam, take a look! Take a look at this newspaper! For our republic, for our... future."

  "The people of Luo Ling take care of the elderly, regardless of their surname; The people of Luo Ling love and protect the young, whether they are their own children or not... Look, our little Ma Long is so well-behaved!"

  This war veteran who begs along the street says this to everyone he meets.

  There was also a young man from the slums who worked as a laborer on the docks, walked barefoot for over three hours to the office of the White Sand Daily, and then pulled out more than 300 sweat-soaked banknotes worth no more than 10 lanters each from his pocket, buying a total of 1,200 copies of the White Sand Daily.

  A reporter from the Baisha Daily asked this young man with a journalist's sensitivity where he got so much money and why he didn't take a car despite having so much money. The young man smiled and replied, "This money was collected by all of us poor men working on the dock to buy this issue of the Baisha Daily, and then post it on those ships that are about to set sail, so that everyone knows our dreams. How can I just enjoy myself and spend it on a car?"

  Before finding a thick wooden stick and carrying back over a thousand copies of the newspaper to the dock, that tattered young man from the poor neighborhood, whose skin had been sunburned to a dark bronze color, asked the reporter from the Baisha Daily for a favor: "Reporter sir, if you have the chance to meet our Little Ma Long, please thank him on my behalf and on behalf of the other dockworkers from the poor neighborhood...for giving us this dream."