Chapter 87 Ballet and Vodka

December 12, 24 p.m., Crimean Peninsula.

In the People's Dance Theater, Karl sat quietly in the VIP box on the second floor, listening to Tchaikovsky's "Swan Lake".

Admiring the graceful dance of a group of girls in white dresses on the stage.

Ballet can be said to be one of the most famous dances in the world. Its light, agile and elegant posture has been recognized by people all over the world.

But few people know that this extremely elegant dance was born in Russia, a country famous for its bitter cold across Europe.

These beautiful Slavic girls, whether in the palace or on the village streets.

They can easily perform the most graceful and agile dance in the world. They spin like the breeze blowing across the Volga River.

The speed of the posture change was as fast and neat as the cold wind in Siberia.

Carl was quietly admiring this beautiful art, but Cedric, standing beside him, was a little worried.

It wasn't because of anything else, but the scenes he saw along the way made him feel uneasy.

In the country where he is now, just walking on the streets, the surrounding environment gives people a shaky feeling.

"Don't worry, the future of these people has nothing to do with us. This is just a choice anyway."

"Their ancestors created this country with the greatest ideals of mankind."

"But they gave up their ideals because of the lowest human desires, starting from the moment they gave up their ideals."

"This country is already dead, and now we are just waiting for it to die, and we are a bunch of vultures."

"We are going to wait until the other party dies completely, and then we can share this huge corpse."

Carl said calmly.

In his hand was a goblet filled with French Bordeaux red wine that looked as red as blood.

In the past, only the powerful and wealthy could buy this kind of luxurious foreign liquor in special stores.

Ordinary people can only buy it on the black market at prices several times higher than the market price.

Or you have to queue for hours at the entrance of the department store.

But now, even if you queue up, you can’t buy it, even though it is thousands of kilometers away from Moscow.

But on this peninsula close to the Black Sea, residents can still feel that the situation is quietly changing.

Food supply has not returned to normal for months, and factories produce goods but don’t know who to sell them to.

The system for distributing production materials has long been paralyzed, and countless ships are anchored at the port but are unable to unload their cargo.

The currency in people's hands began to depreciate rapidly, even though the official exchange rate did not change.

But it is becoming increasingly difficult for people to buy goods at normal prices as before.

The cold wind from Siberia finally blew onto this beautiful island where it is spring all year round.

The military feeling was even more obvious. Standing outside the box door was General Vasily Mikhail, who came here for this matter.

His troops had not received any news from Moscow and they did not know what their future would be.

The soldiers began to become anxious, and even basic military pay and survival guarantees had become unsustainable.

They don’t know how long the motherland they once swore to defend will last, or even the land they stand on.

Who it will belong to is still unknown.

General Vasily, who had been hesitating for a long time, finally pushed open the door of the box and walked in slowly.

But the moment he entered the door, he was still a little surprised, two young boys who were no more than fifteen or sixteen years old.

Doubts immediately surged into his mind, and his already slow pace came to a halt.

It was not until Karl turned his head slightly and saw the general who was nearly fifty years old that he quickly stood up and shook hands with the other party with a smile.

"Hello, nice to meet you. My name is Karl Hohenzollern, and the man next to you is my senior, Cedric Diggory."

"We have been waiting for you for a long time. This wonderful drama is almost coming to an end."

Hearing this, General Vasily turned his gaze to the stage below the stage, just as the young man said.

This ballet performance has reached its final stage, and the performers on the stage bowed gracefully.

Even though there were only three people in the audience, the entire theater was empty and the sight was desolate.

General Vasily couldn't help but sigh, as he was a senior fan of ballet art.

Whenever he had a day off, he would come to the theater, sit in his own special seat, and enjoy the dance.

But now, those dancers who were once highly sought after have long since fallen from the clouds.

Many people have had to give up their artistic careers and turn to some basic physical labor in exchange for basic living supplies.

There are even many beautiful actresses who, due to financial difficulties, have started to engage in the sex trade.

The once elegant art hall has long since turned into a filthy place.

Just like the country he had sworn to defend.

Without this young man, this performance might not have taken place. He couldn't help but smile bitterly at the thought.

He came here ready to sell out the country's assets, doing the very thing he once despised and hated the most.

However, he did not expect that the place of transaction would be the National Art Hall, which he was once most proud of.

General Vasily came to his senses and no longer had any hesitation or doubt. He walked quickly to the side and took the seat that had been prepared for him.

As soon as he sat down, he got straight to the point.

"What are you going to buy and how are you going to pay for it?"

This direct question made Carl very satisfied. He took out a bottle of Red Star Vodka from under the small table beside him.

Then he used the small knife he carried with him to cut the seal on the bottle, and Cedric took out the wine glass he had prepared long ago.

In less than a moment, three small glasses of wine were placed on the small table in front of the three people.

Carl said, pointing at the drinks.

"Don't be in a hurry. Even if it's very hypocritical, I always want to cover the cold transaction with a veil of friendship."

"You will definitely accept my offer, but as per custom, please drink a glass of my drink first, my dear friend."

General Vasily couldn't help but laugh when he saw a child, old enough to be his grandson, saying such words in front of him.

But he did not refuse this kindness. After all, even with his current position, he had not tasted this familiar taste for some time.

Without any doubt, he picked up a glass of vodka, held it high above his head and said with a smile.

"To the Soviets!!"

Then he tilted his head back and drank the wine in one gulp. The clear wine flowed down the throat of the Slavic man like a raging fire.

His face, which had turned pale due to the cold, finally turned a warm red.

Seeing the other drink it all in one gulp, Carl and Cedric also raised their drinks, and Carl even imitated the other and raised the glass above his head.

Said with a smile.

"Cheers to the end of an era!!"