Goddess Kaleidoscope

"Can...can anyone believe that?"

"Then it depends on your acting skills, but I believe you'll be fine, Brother Marvin."

She deliberately lay on her side on the soft chair and gave Marvin another treat. Seeing the white, bald spot, Marvin agreed without thinking, and then hurriedly left with a script handed to him by Katie.

Before leaving, Katie specifically instructed Marvin to first settle his belongings, and then not to rush to report it. Instead, Marvin should wait until Servis herself discovers that the script is missing before privately reporting it to Servis.

Furthermore, when you speak, don't categorically accuse the person of stealing the script. Instead, try to use an uncertain tone, saying that you inadvertently saw the person meeting with a stranger in a suspicious place, and simply say that you "suspiced" it.

Katie, on the other hand, needs to use this time difference to mobilize her Flying Skies Dance Troupe to complete the rehearsals as quickly as possible. She doesn't need to make them perfect; as long as she can perform these shows before Servis, Katie will be invincible.

End of this chapter

As a top-notch song and dance troupe, Katie has a large number of performers, more than three times that of the Servis Rainbow Song and Dance Troupe, and their average quality is also higher. Therefore, Katie is confident that she can complete the rehearsal in two days.

Her immediate priority is to gain an early advantage. Even if the actors lack chemistry and can't achieve perfection yet, it's not a big problem.

The key was to make Servis feel uncomfortable, and the thought of disgusting the woman made Katie very happy.

"Hmph! Foolish woman, I'll make you regret coming to Yanmu City. Trying to fight me is suicide!"

However, Katie was unaware that Servis had been so engrossed in the new scripts since receiving them from Ludwig that she completely forgot about the three scripts locked in the safe until the Fei Xia Dance Troupe's "new play" premiered three days later.

Back at the Sky Opera House, Servis immediately summoned all her trusted veteran members to share some exciting news: she had met with a young disciple named "Hugo" from Master Ludger's school during the day. Hugo had brought her a super awesome new script with the theme of revenge, and they would now focus all their efforts on it, striving to complete all preliminary rehearsals within two weeks and premiere it in Flamewood City.

At this point, a veteran member raised a question: why insist on releasing this new drama, whose script had only just been acquired, ahead of schedule?

Previously, Servis had been preparing the other three plays as their troupe's trump cards, organizing countless rehearsals over the past year to achieve perfection. Now, with this sudden change of plans, the troupe lacks sufficient time to work with the new play, and it certainly won't achieve the same level of synergy as the other three.

Regarding these questions, Servis thought about it. Although she couldn't explain it to everyone, she knew a reason that all senior practitioners could accept.

"It was requested by our patron (referring to Lud).

"Oh, that's all."

Upon learning that it was the client's request, everyone immediately showed an "I see" expression, and then began to discuss how to rehearse.

The list of roles that Lude provided to Servis was divided into three categories according to the proportion of screen time: main characters, major supporting characters, and extras. The main and supporting characters were all played by professional actors, while the extras were relatively simple. They could just grab someone on the spot to make up the number of people. Some were simply background characters without even any lines, so they didn't need any acting skills at all.

The leading male character is naturally Edmond Dantès, the "Lord of the Cave." However, the story spans twenty-two years. Edmond is in his early twenties when he first appears, but by the time the main plot begins, he is already a middle-aged man in his forties. Therefore, the character is divided into two stages: youth and middle age, requiring two actors.

It's worth mentioning that Ludwig made a very "environmentally friendly" suggestion regarding the casting of this role: to give the roles of young Edmund and Albert, the son of Edmund's fiancée, to the same actor. This implies that although the villain Fernand had taken Edmund's woman, he had also raised Edmund's son for over twenty years for nothing. Viewers who understand this will surely smile knowingly at these amusing "Easter eggs."

In choosing her role, Servis selected the character "Mercedes," the male protagonist's fiancée. Although this character has a tragic element in the story and her ending is not good, as she is unable to return to her former lover's arms, she has the most screen time and the most room for development among all the female characters.

In contrast, although Haidee had the last laugh and accompanied the male lead into seclusion, her role was too much of a decorative one. Basically, all it took was to find a young and pretty actress and have her stand on the stage.

Because the character list provided by Lude was very detailed, including the appearance and clothing of each character at different times, Servis was able to make preliminary preparations even without receiving the script.

While Servis was busy preparing for the new drama, Lude was not idle either. Under his deliberate arrangement, Terin, who was disguised as a necromancer, made a brief appearance in Yanmu City. His appearance was like throwing a small firecracker into a cesspool, causing an uproar.

Currently, the underground forces in Yanmu City are increasingly praising the necromancer Dick. First, he successfully severely injured a legendary master under the siege of the Navarro family's elites, and also killed the eldest son, Terin. Then, after disappearing for several months, he reappeared, claiming to have found the lost artifact of the God of Thieves. He then killed Elder Vernon, who attempted to intercept it. The strength he displayed in several battles has impressed many people.

Before this, although necromancers were considered prominent figures in the martial arts world, it was mainly due to the unique abilities of necromancy. However, their weaknesses were also very obvious. Their main combat strength relied on controlling the undead and an artifact mask with mental attack effects. The undead were completely countered by holy water, and there were other ways to deal with the mental attack artifact mask.

Therefore, necromancers can only be considered second-tier experts, and cannot directly compete with the truly top-tier masters.

But these old impressions have been shattered by the Navarro family's setback and Vernon's death. Everyone thinks that either Dick had been hiding his true strength all along, or that the artifact he obtained from the God of Thieves greatly increased his combat power. In either case, his reputation has been established. A powerful and ruthless individual, he is undoubtedly the most respected figure among villains in this cruel world where the strong prey on the weak.

This feeling of being deeply respected was something that Trin, who played the necromancer, greatly appreciated. He still remembered the moment when he made his "first" public appearance in Flamewood City, wearing the necromancer's signature mask in the sewer bar frequented by villains, and the instant silence that followed.

All the eyes that looked at them were a mixture of fear and worship, and they all bowed respectfully as if they were welcoming a demon god.

In contrast, when he was still a member of the Trin, although he was always surrounded by people wherever he went, what they feared was only his status as the "eldest son of the Navarro family." They fawned over him but had no real respect. This feeling was completely different from what he felt now.

However, although Trilling has now experienced the benefits of showing off, with his courage, he only dares to flaunt it in front of these minor characters for the time being. If he were to face a big shot like Vernon, he would probably show his fear in a second.

So, after making his first appearance and announcing to Yanmu City, "I, the necromancer, am back," Lude, the seasoned former professional undercover agent, took over Trin's "costume" and prepared to meet "Snake Woman," an elder of the Black Hand Brotherhood, as a necromancer.

End of this chapter

The wealthy in Yanmu City are mainly concentrated in the higher-lying eastern part of the city, while the poor are mostly concentrated in the low-lying western part. The Moon River, flowing from south to north, runs through the entire city, physically separating these two classes of people.

In the middle of the wide Moon River, a huge rock juts out high above the river surface and has existed here for thousands of years.

If the boulder had a spirit, it would surely be a witness to the founding of this Flamewood City. But now, atop this silent witness stands a building with a less-than-stellar reputation: the city's most upscale brothel, "Silver House," an octagonal, twelve-story tower.

Unlike typical mid-to-low-end establishments, Silver House is adept at elevating its prestige. This brothel, situated on a giant rock in the middle of the river, is not connected to either bank by bridges. Guests are admitted on a membership reservation basis, with only 120 guests allowed per day. Guests arrive on the island by special ferry after nightfall.

The island offers a wide variety of "sexual services," and everyone who has been there says they are great!

Most people outside know that the owner of the Silver House, Shirley, is a powerful and influential female elf. Although she is a madam who runs a brothel, she is a well-known figure in Yanmu City. Her Silver House not only has beautiful and talented young ladies, but also many powerful female warriors. Anyone who dares to cause trouble in her place never comes back alive.

Only a very few people at the top know that Shirley is one of the six elders of the Black Hand Brotherhood, nicknamed "Snake Woman." This female elf is said to be over a thousand years old, and her life story is quite legendary.

Legend has it that during the Age of Gods hundreds of years ago, Sherry was a warrior captain of the Elven race. She was unfortunately captured while resisting the invasion of human kingdoms and was chosen by the king of the invading human kingdom. She became a slave who suffered endless humiliation and, due to her long lifespan, was passed down for three generations by the royal family of that kingdom until the outbreak of the War of Gods. The kingdom was destroyed in the great war, and Sherry, who had managed to escape, regained her freedom.

However, after regaining her freedom, Sherry did not return to the Forest of Tranquility. Instead, she continued to live in human society, voluntarily becoming a prostitute. Eventually, she managed to build her own business and become a madam, which led to the Silver House we know today.

It could be considered inspirational... right?

However, besides being a madam, Shirley is also the most powerful information broker in Yanmu City. Not all the customers who come to her place every day are there for the girls.

Disguised as a "necromancer," Lude boarded the ferry to the Silver House as a member after nightfall. This was a perk that Shirley distributed to high-ranking members of the Brotherhood. As a senior council member, Dick possessed a Gold Membership Card, second only to the highest Platinum level, which granted him a private cabin on the ferry.

Lude's purpose in this trip was to make contact with "Snake Granny" Shirley. Of the remaining five elders, only she explicitly stated that she was neutral and did not want to participate in the competition for the new chairman. This was the most direct reason why Lude chose to contact her.

Soon, the ferry arrived at the Silver House Pier. Through the window of his cabin, Lude saw a giant tower, hundreds of meters high and brightly lit, sitting in the surging river.

This colossal silver tower was built by the dwarves. Given the limited space of the giant rocks in the river, the only way to expand the space was to build a taller structure, resulting in this hundred-meter-high tower. Theoretically, it is the tallest single building in the entire Flamewood City. It's fortunate that the Holy Church of Light's cathedral is located on a small hill over two hundred meters above sea level within the city; otherwise, it would be looked down upon by the brothels.

After disembarking at the ferry terminal and reaching the dock, Lude looked around. The other guests who had come with him were all wearing robes and various masks, but it was still possible to tell from their physique and posture that not all of them were male; in fact, more than a third of the guests were female.

Those who can afford to come to such places are generally either rich or noble, and many are prominent figures in the city. If it were discovered that they were visiting a brothel, it would definitely have a negative impact. Therefore, in order to take care of these customers, the Silver House specially prepared cloaks and masks for all guests. The prostitutes and male prostitutes in the shop all wore a special black eye mask. Wearing this magic eye mask, other people's faces would be blurred, as if they were pixelated.

At that moment, a large group of cave elf waiters suddenly ran over from one side of the dock, each approaching a cloaked guest. The one who came before Lud was a female cave elf, a cute demi-human that reminded Lud of Lalaf. She was less than a meter tall on average, so when she stood before Lud, he had to strain to look up to see her.

"Please show your membership card, sir. What kind of service do you require? I will then escort you to the appropriate floor."

So Lude took out a small gold card, one of the relics left by the necromancer Dick. It was kept close to his body along with a few other small items, which shows that Dick valued this thing very much.

Following Trin's instructions, Lud made a special gesture when showing his membership card. The waiter noticed the gesture, immediately understood, and looked up at Lud and said...

"Please follow me, distinguished guest."

Following the waiter, Lud entered the Silver House. It had twelve floors in total. The first floor was the reception hall. Although it did not do business, as soon as you entered, you could see all sorts of "technical workers" performing strange physical displays on special stages. They came from all races. Lud even saw a maid who was at least 70% Argonian.

Lude discreetly surveyed his surroundings. Most guests were led to the corresponding floor by waiters according to their desired service. The dwarven craftsmen had built an "elevator" inside this hundred-meter-tall tower, which Lude immediately recognized as a dwarven mine elevator—one he had seen in the underground city when he visited Winnig. The one in the Silver House, however, was used in reverse, taking guests to the upper floors.

However, Lude did not join the majority of customers in queuing to go upstairs. The waiter led him to an elevator that no one else was using, and the two of them took it directly to the twelfth floor of the Silver Tower. This was the private space of the owner, Shirley, and it was not usually open to the public.

As soon as he stepped out of the elevator, Ludlow was somewhat surprised to find that the twelfth floor was actually a large greenhouse garden. Unlike the magnificent buildings downstairs, this place was full of lush flowers and trees and a large group of fully armed female warriors. Moreover, judging from their physiques, many of them were mixed-race, between humans and demi-humans.

At this moment, a tall female warrior with a blue face and fangs, clearly of ogre blood, walked up to Lud and looked him up and down with a wary and scrutinizing gaze. Then she pointed to the artifact mask on Lud's face and said.

"Take this off."

End of this chapter

"This? I'm afraid I can't comply."

Seeing that the mixed-race female warrior in front of him wanted to remove her mask, Lude replied in the hoarse voice that Dick used when putting on the mask. When the newcomer refused to disarm, she and the other female warriors around her immediately looked hostile and put their hands on their weapons.

Fortunately, a brightly colored bird flew over and landed on the female warrior's head. Suddenly, it spoke in human language.

"Let him in, and you must not be rude."

"Yes, Master."

Upon hearing the bird's command, the group of tense female warriors put away their weapons and stepped aside to make way for Lud.

Lud looked at the loyal mixed-race female warriors, then walked straight into the depths of the garden.

After walking a short distance, Lud soon arrived at a white pavilion. Judging from the architectural style, it should be a traditional building of the high elves. Inside the pavilion was a hammock made of vines, where a blonde female elf with a pipe in her mouth sat, looking at Lud with great interest.

Judging by human standards, the female elf before him appeared to be no more than thirty years old, with blonde hair, green eyes, fair skin, and a curvaceous figure. She wore a loose-fitting robe that, at first glance, resembled a kimono. However, according to Lud, this was standard business attire for prostitutes in Flamewood City, designed for ease of dressing and undressing.

The female elf before him was none other than "Snake Granny" Sherry, who spoke to Lud with a beaming smile.

"Long time no see, little Dick."

Good evening, Elder.

"Oh dear! It's only been half a year since we last met, and you've become so distant. This makes me a little sad."

She pretended to wipe away non-existent tears. Judging from her tone just now, it was not hard to tell that Dick and she knew each other. He might have gotten the information about the artifact from her. She was the most well-informed intelligence broker in the entire Yanmu City.

Who knows how familiar the two really are? Lude didn't pretend to be friendly and try to get close to her, but continued to speak to Shirley in a cold tone.

"Six months is not a short time. It's enough for a person to experience a lot and to see the true colors of many people. I don't want to delve into why the Navarro family always manages to find me anymore. Let's get straight to the point. Where is the Chairman now? I need to see him, and I want to see him in person."

"I don't know! If there's anything in Yanmu City that I, Shirley, don't know, then our guild leader's whereabouts definitely count. You want to see him, you wouldn't happen to want to hand over the divine artifact to him, would you? Actually, I can reluctantly do it for you, my little Dick!"

"No need! Ever since I met Vernon, I no longer trust any of you elders. I've kept the artifact in a safe place, and I'll naturally offer it to the right person when I see the guild master."

In front of Sherry, Ludwig admitted that he possessed the artifact and even mentioned Vernon, both as clarification and as a threat, warning Sherry not to have any ulterior motives.

Shirley naturally understood the meaning behind the words, especially seeing the other party running to her territory alone, yet still looking so calm and composed, inevitably giving people the feeling that his strength was unfathomable.

So after a moment's hesitation, Shirley shook her head and said...

"Well, there's nothing I can do then, Dick. I really don't know where the president is. But the election for the new president has already started. Since you're a regular customer here, I can give you a suggestion."

"Wait for the new president to take over, offer the artifact to him, and then exchange it for an elder position... Is this the idea you wanted to give me? But how do you know that all I want is one elder position?"

Upon hearing Lud's words, Shirley was visibly taken aback, and then after a few seconds, she suddenly slapped her thigh and burst into laughter.

"Hahaha... I never expected this! I really underestimated you! But thinking about it, it makes sense. You've already given the Navarro family a run for their money and killed Vernon. The entire Brotherhood now thinks you're capable of becoming an Elder, and taking another step forward isn't impossible. But..."

Shirley deliberately drew out her words, then suddenly clapped her hands. Immediately, a large group of fully armed female warriors surrounded Lud, bringing up swords, knives, and staffs, as if Shirley could chop the man in front of her into a pile of minced meat at her command.

Faced with the sudden onslaught of swordsmen and axemen, Lud was startled even though he was prepared. He almost couldn't resist putting up a shield for himself. Fortunately, the mixed-race female warriors only surrounded him and didn't actually attack, which made Lud secretly breathe a sigh of relief.

At this moment, Shirley spoke slowly and deliberately.

“Little Dick, I admit you’re very brave, and taking down Vernon shows you’re not lacking in strength. But the problem is, no matter how strong you are, you’re still just one person, while we elders all have our own factions!”