Chapter 2204: Gotham Music Festival (Six)_1

Arthur's stand-up show was a colossal success, he even had websites reposting his performance over a thousand times before the opening ceremony was over. Many renowned comedy critics praised him for his unique sense of rhythm, especially in the narrative parts.

Actually, stand-up comedy isn't just about delivering funny jokes. Some might wonder why certain translated jokes from foreign stand-up aren't funny or might even attribute it to cultural differences, but that's not necessarily the case.

There are many types of stand-up comedy, including those that are heavy on comic elements, purely for the sake of giving the audience a good laugh, and others that use humor to allude to issues regarding race and social systems, with some even outright mocking them.

The hardest part of stand-up isn't just writing the jokes, but how to string together many humorous snippets into a cohesive whole, ensuring they share a common theme and don't become too disjointed.

Creating a full, coherent, and lengthy storyline is a daunting challenge that could frustrate any stand-up comedian or scriptwriter to no end. You can't expect an audience watching stand-up to have the same patience as those watching a Shakespeare play; they have different expectations.

Those who watch Shakespeare might take a week to relax, preparing for a spectacular performance, and wouldn't miss any detail of the actors' expressions, fully immersing themselves into the grandiose show. To them, it's an expenditure, not a replenishment.

But stand-up audiences might be just looking for something to watch after failing to find a good TV show on the weekend, buying a ticket on a whim to hear some jokes. Their brains aren't really working; they're hoping the comedian will replenish their energy. They are irritable and thirsty.

This leads to their inability to follow any long narrative. Don't expect them to remember what the comedian said two minutes ago. They're not interested in causes, processes, or outcomes; they're driven by instinct to latch onto anything humorous for a good laugh.

Hence, long narratives are almost impossible unless you infuse humor and comedy into all aspects of the story, but this would seem very fake, turning the plot overly deliberate and absurd, losing the purpose of a long narrative.

Arthur's stand-up was deemed by insiders to have balanced the tedium of long narration very well. He activated the audience's curiosity almost perfectly, replacing their need for short, humorous bits with another kind of thirst, allowing them to listen to a lengthy story.

Undoubtedly, Bruce's cooperation as the butt of his jokes helped, but getting the world's richest man to play along was an achievement in itself.

What's marvelous is that no one could find any information about Arthur. He claimed he'd been arrested and even put into a mental institution, yet there were no public records to back it up.

This led people to guess that he must have a very close relationship with Bruce Wayne, because only the world's richest man could have the power to suppress all reports.

Gossip about Bruce Wayne catapulted Arthur's fame to new heights, truly making him an overnight sensation. Everyone wanted to know what face lay behind his Joker mask.

After the opening ceremony, there were 5 to 6 other acts, mostly family-friendly song and dance performances, with Selina's singing ending the show. When she reached the final part of her performance, there was a thunderous demand from the audience for Arthur to return.

Arthur had to re-enter the stage, while Selina naturally walked towards the audience, not forgetting to smile back at Arthur.

Hurrying through the crowd, Arthur managed a few steps, kissed the back of Selina's hand, and after she left the stage, he pointed to an empty spot saying, "You have to admit that Bruce Wayne is a great man, because even with such a beauty by his side, he still appears precisely at 8 PM on top of the Wayne building... wait, what's the name of that photographer who took his picture?"

Then Arthur cursed in pretense, and the crowd immediately erupted. It proved that gossip was a primary productive force, as they began to chant Clark Kent's name.

Clark was indeed there, but he was a bit confused by how events unfolded. Diana nudged him with her elbow and said, "Hey, they're talking about you. You're the reason Bruce Wayne gave up the company of a beauty."

Soon enough, people spotted Clark, and to make matters worse, he wasn't wearing glasses today. His face, resembling that of a celestial being, shone even more divine under the last rays of the setting sun.

The vast audience began to stir, pointing at Clark, who almost had to ask, "Was it you who brought these devils here?"

Arthur, with one line, "I heard that a photo of Batman has been all the rage recently," cranked up their howling by eight degrees.

Of course, Clark knew which photo he was referring to, but he hadn't taken it, and he didn't even know that Batman.

The problem was that in the Prime Universe, the bat suit worn by Batman wasn't much different from Bruce's, and given that he didn't show his face, nobody could tell them apart, and no one dared to imagine that such a sultry hunk could exist twice on Earth, so everyone assumed it was this universe's Bruce.

Since all of the previous notable photos of Batman were taken by Clark, the classic one that had gone viral was also believed to be his work.

But what is your relationship with Bruce Wayne, Clark Kent, to take such a photo? And even allow, for argument's sake, that you've witnessed the scene in the picture, could you remain unaffected?

The human race understands itself best; no one is nobler than another. We are all driven by lust, intoxicated by desire, hobgoblins of our own sensuality. If you could resist that, are you really human?

If gossip is regarded as the primary productive force, then egging on is certainly the first instinct of the human race. In a moment, some were egging Bruce and Arthur on, some were doing the same to Bruce and Superman, and others were urging Bruce and Selina to kiss on the spot. There were also questions about where Diana was, leading to Clark and Diana eventually making a hasty retreat together.

As the sun gradually set, the opening ceremony became even more boisterous under the night sky, not calming down until Arthur and Selina had made a return appearance and even Bruce had gone up to say a few words.

But this was not the end of the day's events. Soon, several Wayne Enterprises buses stopped at various intersections to take tourists to the beach to watch the fireworks display for the opening ceremony.

Since the opening ceremony was rated for adults due to the excessive crowds, making it difficult to ensure safety, families with children mostly chose to go to the beach early to await the start of the fireworks show.

Although Gotham's pollution problem had been solved, the sea was still full of mysterious elements, so much so that even the Atlanteans shook their heads at it, meaning that various microorganisms couldn't survive there.

As is well known, some beachfront villas illegally use certain chemicals to kill microorganisms, which clarifies the water and fits human aesthetic preferences perfectly.

Gotham's beaches can achieve this effect without breaking the law, thanks to the plethora of mysterious elements, which even emit a faint glow at night. After some time of promotion, these beaches surpassed Metropolis's tri-beach areas and became the most famous on the East Coast.

In order to give tourists as comprehensive an experience of Gotham's maritime scenery as possible, the city government developed a variety of sea-based activities. To differentiate from Metropolis's highly commercialized tourist attractions, they also tailored a unique sea tourism route specifically for Gotham.

When you speak of uniqueness, it's indeed unique. For example, you can take a boat to see sharks larger than orcas, then see unique orcas half the size of blue whales, followed by an expanse of unique blue whales. If possible, you can even take a submarine down to watch the unique squids that seem capable of swallowing Godzilla whole.

However, such uniqueness is not something everyone can embrace, so the main activities at sea are still family-oriented entertainment options, like children's water parks on the beach, paddle boarding camps on the sea, jet skiing, banana boats, and so on.

Gotham's beaches were originally not the white, fine sandy shores of tropical regions, but the city government really went all out, airlifting in fine white sand to cover an entire stretch of beach.

Of course, there are risks, such as some of the sand being swept away by seawater or being erased by frequent typhoons. This is where Gotham's geographical advantage comes into play: the sight of a typhoon triggers the gathering of dark clouds, which then deter the typhoons, making the area as if blessed with godly protection, indestructible to all evil—a feature that indeed succeeded in preserving the beaches.

Gotham is surrounded by 6 large islands and more than 30 small islands. You can watch the sunset from the large islands, while the more remote small islands offer diving opportunities. Bruce and Arthur gave a heads up; during the tourist season, Arthur would bring a school of fish for the visitors to watch.

The local coastline, however, focuses on commercial development, with a variety of restaurants and hotels hugging the beach. But, since the Wayne family dominates and does not allow private hotels to encroach on the beach, the prime areas remain as public beaches. This is extremely rare in Europe and America and has received high praise from tourists.

Seaside holidays are a tradition deeply ingrained in Europeans and Americans, and the six major beaches of Gotham are also a focus of the next stage of tourism development plans. Hence, they are frequently included in various activities.

The fireworks show took place at Gotham's most famous beach, New Howe. The name New Howe was given by Irish settlers who felt this beach resembled the West Coast of their hometown in Ireland, named with the same logic as New York's "New York."

Bus after bus brought tourists steadily to the beach. The ample preparations for infrastructure played their part, with the vast majority of visitors finding seats in nearby restaurants, and even the last few groups of tourists managing to find spots.

The place with the best view and ambiance has to be the Wayne-owned Batman Theme Restaurant. Yes, exactly what it sounds like; a restaurant filled with bat elements.

Typically, bats don't make one think of food or stimulate the appetite, but this restaurant was so popular it never lacked for customers waiting for a table because this is the real Batcave.

At the far west end of New Howe beach, there's a cliff that overlooks the entire beach. Because of its high elevation and complex terrain, tourists are not allowed up, and it's also home to the formidable Great Sea Gull.

But no gull can outmatch the local bats. Bruce carved out a real cave on this cliff and recreated the natural habitat of a real bat's cave to create a theme restaurant.

The side of the cliff facing the sea is sealed with seamless glass, almost as if you're truly living in a cliffside cave. Looking outward, not only can you take in the full beauty of New Howe Beach, but you can also witness the crashing waves below and flocks of seagulls overhead.

Of course, it's unavoidable that occasionally you'd see seagulls, sea eagles, and sea swallows in a brawl. Don't ask why these birds of different food chain levels can fight together: if you ask, it's because Gotham's animals don't really follow the food chain.

And sometimes, when the fights get too intense and they hit the glass, there are metal bats equipped with quad machine guns for defense that intervene, then Kryptonians step in to break it up, followed by the Amazon Princess and Ion Lantern stepping in to mediate their conflict, and eventually even Lucifer from the nearby bar comes to persuade her and them and it to stop fighting.

Anyway, if you book this restaurant, there's always something exciting to see, which is why the seats by the window are always full. On this day, the restaurant announced a one-day halt to business to host visitors from other universes.

Alfred, with the children from Wayne Manor, and Shiller, bringing Harley, did not attend the opening ceremony but had been waiting early at the restaurant. Soon, the other guests arrived as well.