Goddess Kaleidoscope

The woman had learned through some channels that Servis's Rainbow Circus had obtained the script for "Romeo and Juliet" in a place called Pine Town in the north of the kingdom. The play had been performed in various parts of the north more than a year ago and had been very well received.

But this Shakespeare is very mysterious. Servis refuses to reveal any information other than his name. Moreover, it is said that she also has several other plays, also written by this Shakespeare, but she has never performed them. Obviously, she wants to keep them as trump cards to take revenge on the Flying Clouds Dance Troupe in Flamewood City.

Katie couldn't tolerate this happening, considering the immense price she had paid to establish herself in Flamewood City. Even though she knew Servis was just slapping her in the face and, given her proud nature, wouldn't actually try to replace her in Flamewood City, Katie absolutely refused to lose to Servis.

End of this chapter

At this time, at the Sky Opera House, the performance was delayed by more than half an hour because of the beggars' disturbance. As a result, the attendance rate was only about two-thirds. Some of the empty seats were for the beggars, and some were for the audience members who had been scared away.

Fortunately, the opera house owner, Mrs. Marilyn, was a very shrewd person. In the last few minutes before the performance, she quickly counted the number of empty seats and sent people with the newly made temporary tickets to the streets to solicit customers. In the end, she managed to fill most of the empty seats before the curtain rose, bringing the attendance rate back to over 80%.

To be honest, in Yanmu City, if the attendance rate of a new play exceeds 70% for its first performance, it can be considered a big hit. After that, it will rise slightly depending on the situation, and then drop rapidly as the hype fades.

Those that can consistently sell out are all top-tier song and dance troupes. In the entire Yanmu City, only the Feixia Song and Dance Troupe can achieve this, and that's only at the Tianlai Opera House, the largest opera house in the city with over two thousand seats.

The Rainbow Dance Troupe is undoubtedly a strong dark horse. More than half a month after their debut performance, they still maintained their popularity and a very high attendance rate. As a result, they are highly valued by the owner of the Sky Opera House, who has always scheduled their performances during prime time every night.

Although there have been constant controversies surrounding the Rainbow Choir and the hit play "Romeo and Juliet" during this period, and even some important figures whose names cannot be mentioned have been secretly pressuring the opera house to terminate their performance cooperation with the Rainbow Choir, Granny Marilyn completely ignored these pressures and shielded the Rainbow Choir from the vast majority of attacks.

On one hand, Marilyn herself had powerful backers; anyone who could establish themselves and run an opera house in the chaotic city of Yanmu was no pushover. On the other hand, the owner was also an actor by training, with a genuine love for musicals and a deep admiration for the ever-resilient Servis.

In return, Servis revealed that she had several other high-quality scripts in hand, convincing Marilyn that they had an untapped trump card up their sleeve.

The reception of "Romeo and Juliet" in Yanmu City is currently polarized. Those who have seen it are praising it vehemently, while many who haven't seen it are insisting on the "plagiarism" issue and calling for a boycott. Even though some people from other places have come forward to refute the rumors, saying that the Rainbow Dance Troupe had already performed the play elsewhere more than a year ago, their voices are too weak to drown out the organized trolls spreading rumors.

Having worked in Yanmu City for so many years, Granny Marilyn naturally knew that someone was behind this. She could even guess who it was, but unfortunately, the other party had more power. She could only protect the Rainbow Dance Troupe from outside interference in her own little corner of the world, but she could hardly fight back.

The performance that evening was another great success. A truly excellent opera can captivate the audience, making them want to savor it again and again, and gain new insights with each viewing. The audience's spontaneous standing ovation at the end was the greatest affirmation of the actors and the script.

After the performance, the owner, Mrs. Marilyn, came backstage and saw Servais pulling the cast who had just finished their curtain call for a "closing summary." The summary mainly focused on self-reflection on shortcomings and how to improve so that the next performance would be even better.

Grandma Marilyn smiled and nodded. She admired Servis's meticulous professionalism and felt that she could see her younger self in her.

Just then, Servis spotted Granny Marilyn watching from a distance and quickly went over to greet her. Servis knew that her performances in Yanmu City had been able to proceed smoothly entirely thanks to the support of this former "Number One Actress of Yanmu City," and therefore she was extremely grateful to her.

"Senior, you've arrived."

"Just came backstage to take a look, and brought along one of your most enthusiastic fans. Don't worry, he's not some lecherous scoundrel. He's an annoying guy, but... at least he's not a bad person."

"Who is it?"

“Sans, a freak who writes and draws everything. Look! That’s him hiding behind the pillar, acting all sneaky.”

Following the direction Marilyn was pointing, Servis saw a man peeking at them from behind the stage props not far away. Marilyn waved to him, and the man immediately ran towards them excitedly. His carefree running reminded Servis of a silly dog ​​she used to have.

However, Servis had heard of the name Sans before. He was arguably the most famous playwright in Yanmu City, and a polymath proficient in calligraphy, painting, and music. This led Servis to initially believe that Sans was an old man like Master Lud, but upon meeting him in person, she found that he was surprisingly young, looking to be only in his early twenties. He had unusually long, messy blue hair and wore expensive crystal glasses, a very typical "cultured" look.

Servis naturally dared not be negligent towards such a top figure in the industry, but just as she was about to step forward to shake hands with him, Sans, who had rushed over, accidentally stepped on a rope and knelt down in front of them with a "plop," leaving Servis's outstretched hand hanging in mid-air. Meanwhile, Granny Marilyn calmly took a puff of her pipe, then glanced at the ceiling at a 45-degree angle, trying her best to ignore this embarrassing and extremely shameful scene.

"Um, um... Master Sans, are you... alright?"

"Hahaha! It's alright, it's alright. I was just too excited and didn't notice my footing. Miss Servis, I'm a big fan of yours! I begged Grandma Marilyn seven times before she finally agreed to let me meet you. I'm here today for two reasons: first, to ask for your autograph, and second, to ask you for a favor. I hope you can introduce me to the great Shakespeare. I'll do anything you ask if you can agree."

In front of Servis, the overly cheerful Sans rattled off a request that Servis found quite difficult to fulfill, speaking at a rapid-fire pace.

In fact, since the performances began in Yanmu City, more than one group of people have approached Servis, wanting to meet the Shakespearean master who wrote the play. Some were quite polite, while others were rather rude, their words carrying a threatening undertone.

Servis could only deflect these visitors by saying that the great Shakespeare was in the north, but some people did not believe her.

Just as Servis was wondering how to deal with Sans, she suddenly saw a stagehand from her troupe leading a familiar face backstage. It was none other than Master Ludwig's disciple, whom she hadn't seen for over a year!

End of this chapter

Because they were all very beautiful and had exceptionally good figures, Servis had a deep impression of Master Ludger's several stunning female disciples, so even though they were dressed casually, she recognized them at a glance.

"Sister Shanis? What's she doing in Flamewood City?"

Because of their acquaintance, Shanis easily gained access to the opera house backstage. The veterans of the song and dance troupe who had visited Pine Town before all recognized Shanis, and they all came up to greet her with delight.

The new recruits and opera house staff were all captivated by Shanis's beauty and mistook her for a new actress.

Who is this woman?

"I don't know, but she seems even prettier than Captain Servis. Oh! She's looking this way at me."

Shanis's appearance backstage caused quite a stir. Servis hadn't expected to see an old friend here, so she quickly explained a few words to Grandma Marilyn, asked the still-chattering Sans to wait a moment, and then hurried over to greet her.

Sister Shanis.

Good evening, Miss Servis.

"What brings you to Yanmu City? When did you arrive?"

"I just arrived two days ago. I guess you're accompanying my master on his business trip. He knew you were also in Yanmu City, so he asked me to come and say hello first."

"The master has arrived in Yanmu City!?"

Shanis nodded, then took out an envelope and handed it to Servis, which made Servis feel both surprised and delighted.

After handing Lud's handwritten letter to Servis, Shanis, having completed her mission, said she had other matters to attend to and could not stay any longer, but would return in a few days. Lud had heard about the Rainbow Dance Troupe's predicament in Flamewood City and said he would not stand idly by.

These words were like heavenly music to Servis's ears, and the gloom that had been weighing on her head for days seemed to vanish without a trace in an instant.

"Please give my regards to the master. When we meet, I will definitely thank him for his great kindness and virtue!"

"Uh... Master might not be considered old anymore."

"what?"

After explaining the arrangements made by Lud, Shanes hurriedly left. Servis put the letter in her bosom and then returned to Marilyn and Sans.

"Servais, who was that black-haired girl just now? Is she a new talent you discovered? She has a great image and temperament."

"No, no, she's not an actress, she's a nun."

"A nun? That's a real shame."

Upon hearing Servis say she was a nun, Marilyn's face clearly showed regret. Having witnessed the dark side of the upper class, Marilyn knew very well that being a nun was not a status to be envied. Being ugly was one thing, but those as beautiful as angels often became playthings of certain high-ranking members of certain sects, living a life worse than prostitutes in brothels.

Servis didn't know that Marilyn meant this by "pity," since she had personally witnessed how Lude interacted with his female apprentices and hadn't considered any unpleasant implications. She was now overjoyed and felt exceptionally exhilarated.

After all, Master Lud has arrived, and everything will be alright!

At this moment, Servis turned her gaze to Sans. She remembered that this guy was the resident choreographer of the Flying Fairy Dance Company. Although Grandma Marilyn, who knew the inside story, had said before that this was only a one-sided claim by the Flying Fairy Dance Company, Sans did indeed have more collaborations with them.

Since this guy is so eager to meet Shakespeare, and Master Lu just happens to be in Yanmu City, I might be able to help him fulfill his dream, and then take advantage of the situation to steal his nemesis's man. That way, the world where only that bitch Katie gets hurt will be complete—how wonderful!

While he was plotting how to make things difficult for his enemy, Lude and Hume had just come out of the theater and were strolling through the streets, enjoying the local customs and culture of Yanmu City.

In a stretch of less than 500 meters, they encountered three groups of robbers. The second group was even dressed in guard uniforms and immediately "invited" the two of them to the guard post for tea. They were truly kind and hospitable.

"This is unbelievable! Is this place really this chaotic at night?"

"That's normal! Even if the local gangs have rules, they still follow the rules between gangs. Just robbing without killing is enough to shamelessly call yourself a 'hero' in the underworld. Do you really expect these scumbags to be law-abiding citizens?"

Hume shrugged indifferently at Ludd's "overreaction." In fact, in her opinion, Ludd's pursuit of order was clearly a bit too high. Pine Town was governed by him like a paradise, but he was still not very satisfied, saying that it was not good enough.

Three waves of robbers severely ruined Ludd's mood for shopping, so on Hume's advice, the two changed to another route with better scenery, but which was not a route for ordinary people—the rooftop.

During their days of undercover investigation in Flamewood City, Hume and Fallen Leaf mostly engaged in nighttime activities involving scaling walls and rooftops. One of the Thief God's innate skills was his exceptional agility, as light as a swallow. However, Lude clearly couldn't reach that level, casting several enhancement spells on himself just to barely keep up with Hume.

Seeing that Ludwig was having some difficulty keeping up, Hume had no choice but to slow down.

The two finally arrived at the top of the clock tower in the very center of the city. It was one of the tallest buildings in the entire Yanmu City. Standing at the highest point, one could overlook the city's most bustling main streets. The tower was brightly lit all night long, making Lude feel as if he had returned to Earth.

At this moment, Hume leaned against a pillar, feeling the chilly southern night wind, and said with emotion.

"It's a pity that my divine power is sealed right now, otherwise I could just give you the protection of the God of Thieves, and you wouldn't need so many enhancement spells to keep up with me."

"To be honest, your position as the God of Thieves sometimes... seems rather useless. Have you ever thought about trying something else?"

"Changing a godhood isn't that simple! If I stop being the God of Thieves, will I still be myself? But if you have a way to add some new things to my life, like you did with Aina, then I wouldn't be unable to accept it. Do you have any good suggestions?"

What do you think of the oath?

"pledge?"

“I’ve noticed that most people choose to swear an oath to the god they believe in when they make a vow. But the problem is that there are so many gods in the sky, and some of them are unreliable. For example, your mother, who is in charge of ‘conspiracy,’ swears to a fraudulent god that she didn’t lie. Can anyone believe that? So, there should be a god like that who makes people pay the price for breaking their promises.”

"Is it like a god who governs contracts?"

"Similar but not the same. I plan to subdivide the concepts in this regard. Contracts should be fair and just, and I intend to leave that to the God of Law, but oaths can be unfair. In short, it's not enough to just come up with this idea on a whim. We need an opportunity for the public to accept this concept."

End of this chapter

In the realm of propaganda, outstanding literary and artistic works have always been the most powerful weapon. Their power doesn't directly affect the physical body, but it can influence the spirit; they can both promote culture and spread ideas, and they can also be used to distort the truth.

The natives of this world have not yet realized the importance of this, but Lud is a time traveler. In the era when he was still in school, the entertainment industry of a certain country across the ocean was at its peak.

Every year, a large number of well-made movies, games, and animations are produced, attracting young people from their own country and even other countries to follow them, and then unconsciously accepting the values ​​hidden in them.

So when Lud learned that Servis's Rainbow Dance Troupe was also in Flamewood City, he decided to bring them into his plans.

Following the time and place mentioned in the letter, Servis quietly left the Sky Opera Company alone at noon the next day, dressed in casual clothes, and went to a restaurant in the wealthy southern district of the city.

As soon as she arrived, she saw Shanis waving at her from a short distance away. She then followed her to the VIP room on the second floor of the restaurant, where she met a group of familiar faces from Pine Town whom she hadn't seen in a long time. Besides Shanis, who had brought her there, there were also Aina and Hume.

But what puzzled Servis was that the only man present was not Master Lud, but a strange young gentleman.

"And who is this gentleman?"

“I am Ludwig, Miss Servis.”

"???"

It took a little time for Lud to explain to Servis the series of events that had occurred in Oyster Harbor after she left Pine Town. With acquaintances like Shanis and Aina as witnesses, Servis had no choice but to believe him.

Servis was initially surprised, not expecting that Master Lud would receive a divine blessing and be rejuvenated, but then she thought about it and felt that it was not unacceptable, and even a kind of reasonable feeling.

However, what still intrigued Servis was why Master Lud had made the special trip to Flamewood City, which was thousands of miles away from Pinewood Town. Could it be that he came all this way just to help her?

"Master, what brings you to Yanmu City?"

"I mainly came here to take care of some things, and when I learned that you were also here and had encountered some trouble, I wanted to ask you for help."

"Mutual help?"