Goddess Kaleidoscope

Katie knew she was being used as a "shared bike," and inwardly cursed the two old bastards, but she still put on a coquettish smile, plotting how to make sure she wasn't taken advantage of.

"Brothers, it's been so long since you've come to support someone's performance. Have you forgotten about them?"

"Haha! How could that be? We've been so busy we really haven't had time. Look, we just finished up and came right away!"

"Really?"

"It's true."

"What about the thing I asked Brother Juan to do before?"

"Uh... this..."

When Katie suddenly brought this up, Juan's eyes flashed with embarrassment. Katie had asked him for help before, but he hadn't taken it seriously, thinking it wasn't worth getting into trouble for a bitch, so he just brushed it off casually.

Now Katie has brought it up again, making him a little embarrassed.

Seeing this, August, out of curiosity, asked about it. Katie then recounted the situation in a "tactful" way, saying that the Rainbow Dance Company was engaging in malicious competition, that Servis was bullying others, and that she had even had Hugo, the scriptwriter, threaten her with magic. She was utterly wicked.

Upon hearing this, August immediately showed an expression of righteous indignation. However, this cunning and treacherous bishop knew perfectly well that most of these accusations were actually misdeeds that Katie herself had committed. Presumably, she had failed to achieve her goal, so she had pinned them all on the other side in front of him.

Despite knowing this, August still echoed Katie's condemnation of the Rainbow Choir. Juan, watching from the side, couldn't help but wonder, what is this heartless bishop up to?

In fact, recently, August has indeed been thinking about how to deal with the Rainbow Dance Troupe.

On the one hand, the new drama "The Count of Monte Cristo" was becoming too popular locally, and his intuition told him that it was time to step in and find a way to reduce the influence of the drama.

On the other hand, there was also August's own little scheme. He hoped to teach the playwright Hugo a lesson by giving the Rainbow Choir a hard time, so that he would understand that young people shouldn't be too arrogant!

When he saw the premiere at the Sky Opera House, he immediately took a liking to the dashing female bodyguard beside the performer. In subsequent encounters, he subtly hinted at his feelings to her, believing he was actively extending an olive branch and giving her a chance to latch onto his coattails.

But the boy pretended not to understand, deliberately ignoring August's "good intentions," and gradually lost patience, finally deciding to use the method he was best at.

As the bishop of the southern diocese of the Church of Light in the Kingdom of Durand, August was once a fine young man with ideals and a desire to uphold justice. But he was not a perfect man without desires, and as his status rose, various temptations followed.

At first, August was able to be strict with himself and try his best not to be tempted by wealth and lust. He believed that the Holy Lord of Light must be watching him from the holy mountain in the sky, and he could not let his god down.

However, he ultimately succumbed to temptation and made a mistake. But in his fear, the divine punishment he had anticipated did not come, and the once steadfast August began to feel a sense of confusion.

At first, he didn't understand why he hadn't been punished for his mistakes. He thought it was because the gods had taken pity on him and given him a chance to make amends. But as his bottom line was crossed time and time again, August, who was already middle-aged, realized that no matter how many mistakes he made, the gods hadn't done anything to him.

He didn't know whether this was leniency or the gods simply not caring. In any case, August realized that as a bishop, he already held power and authority above ordinary people, so why not make good use of this power and authority to gain more benefits for himself?

In a daze, August became the person he used to hate the most, no longer feeling guilty for doing evil, as if everything was justified.

Ironically, this Augustus, far from losing his faith in the Holy Lord of Light, became even more fanatical than before! This was because he was genuinely grateful to the God who had bestowed all that he had now.

Auguste planned to take action against the Rainbow Dance Troupe in a couple of days, first labeling them as "worshippers of evil gods." After all, the story featured Hume, the god of thieves, who wasn't purely a villain, and the religious ideas presented in the work were highly problematic.

In this day and age, although inquisitions against heretics are no longer common, the worship of evil gods remains a taboo subject. Whenever the Sun Knights of the Holy Light Church receive intelligence about the appearance of cult members, they will always dispatch themselves in the name of justice to eradicate them.

Over the years, many villains have been eliminated by the Sun Knight, but there have also been wrongful convictions.

Because whether someone is a member of a cult or not is often not something the person involved can decide for themselves.

Thinking of this, August couldn't help but glance at Juan, a meaningful smile appearing on his lips.

August knew everything about the Navarro family and the Black Hand Brotherhood—what they did and what their beliefs were—but that didn't stop him from being on friendly terms with them for over a decade, sharing a long-standing friendship of drinking, gambling, and womanizing. After all, he had received considerable benefits from them, and he knew exactly when to turn a blind eye and when to pretend not to hear.

End of this chapter

At the Sky Theatre, Servis's life has been busy and fulfilling lately. Nearly half a month has passed since the premiere of "The Count of Monte Cristo," and it is still sold out every time, with its popularity undiminished.

The reason why the entire series has been able to remain popular for so long is not only because of its own strong quality, but also because of the prosperity of Yanmu City.

As the largest city in the southern part of the kingdom, Yanmu City not only has many wealthy locals, but it is also located at a transportation hub. Unlike the northern part of the kingdom, which suffers from seasonal transportation disruptions such as heavy snow blocking the mountains in winter, Yanmu City has a huge population flow that never stops throughout the year, with tens of thousands of people coming and going almost every day.

Among them are, of course, those who are rich, have plenty of free time, and enjoy watching plays. Once they enter the city, they are easily persuaded by the cool posters on the streets and alleys, as well as by the enthusiastic recommendations from various people, to enter the theater and contribute a ticket.

It's no exaggeration to say that everyone who comes out of the theater is optimistic about their future. The Rainbow Choir's popularity is soaring, and many of their fans are even foreigners. Some of them have even taken the initiative to contact the Rainbow Choir, inviting them to perform in countries outside of the Kingdom of Duran, showing the potential to become "international superstars."

However, Servis declined all of these invitations, as she had already made plans for her upcoming trip and would return to Pinetown in the north next spring.

Having wandered with her parents since childhood, she had come to regard that place as her hometown. Moreover, this was also Lude's arrangement. After returning to Pine Town, they would begin to learn a new form of performance called "film".

As usual, Servis and the actors in the troupe finished their first performance of the day and were having lunch and resting here the day after tomorrow.

Under normal circumstances, for a large-scale performance like "The Cave King" that lasts more than three hours, the same group of people can only perform once a day at most. However, the Rainbow Dance Troupe does not have a backup "second group of actors". If a group of people perform two shows a day for two consecutive weeks, even the strongest person will be worn out.

Fortunately, Servis and his group had the support of Master Lu, who brought them a "refreshing drink" produced by the Medicine God Cult. After the performance, just a small sip was enough to completely eliminate fatigue without any side effects.

With the help of this miraculous medicine, and the promise from the guild leader that they could earn three times the salary for two matches a day, the morale of the entire guild was immediately boosted.

At that moment, a stagehand jogged up to Servis, who was resting with her eyes closed, and whispered something to her.

"Commander, that Sans is back."

"Who?"

When Servis was suddenly told by the stagehand that "Sans is back," she paused for a moment before realizing that this was the young playwright who had been clamoring to become Ludwig's apprentice.

Servis had always been suspicious of this guy because she had heard that he had written scripts for Katie's Flying Skies Dance Company. Coupled with the recent script theft, Servis, who suffered from "Katie PTSD," always felt that he was a double agent and never let her guard down in private.

About a week ago, Sans, who was hanging out with the Rainbow Choir at the Sky Opera House, suddenly said that he wanted to go back home, pack his things, and start working with the Rainbow Choir from now on. He didn't care about being paid or not, as long as he could be taken along. Then, before Servis could say anything, he disappeared like a husky that had broken free.

The kidnapping occurred the day after he left, which further fueled Servis's suspicions about him.

Servis, who was busy every day, quickly put this guy out of her mind, only to have him suddenly come back.

Out of curiosity, Servis got up and followed the stagehand to the back alley of the theater. As soon as she arrived, she was startled by the caravan behind Sans, which was packed to the brim and looked like it was about to burst.

Who knows what's on that vehicle? At a glance, you can vaguely see clothes, books, and other things that Servis has never seen before. On the canvas roof of the caravan, there's even a hand that's clearly a marble statue, stubbornly sticking out from the roof.

What's even more jaw-dropping is that this truck, which looks incredibly heavy, was pulled by Sanz all by himself. His strength is far superior to that of a horse or a mule.

Is it scary? Yes, it is scary.

"I'm back, Captain Servis."

"What...what's all that's in this car?"

"Some of my personal belongings! I've actually already thrown away quite a few, but these are things I really couldn't bear to part with. Just packing and loading them into the car took me a long time!"

"..."

Standing there in silence for a long time, Servis was at a loss for words. Fortunately, a familiar face soon arrived – Sister Shanis, who had been stationed at the theater as a bodyguard since the kidnapping. She wasn't wearing her usual conspicuous nun's habit, but rather a very stylish black, form-fitting leather suit.

When the other person came over, they were also visibly taken aback by Sans's exaggerated "personal belongings," and then cast a questioning look at Servis.

At this moment, a small head with a white face and dark circles under its eyes suddenly popped out from under Shanis's cloak. Its big eyes were looking at Sans not far away with a puzzled look. Sans was also slightly taken aback when he saw the little thing, and then smiled and made a "shh" gesture to it.

Sans's return did not cause much of a stir. Although Servis still suspected that he was an undercover agent, since Lud had already said that he wanted to take him in, she could not object. She could only arrange for trusted old members to keep an eye on his every move.

Meanwhile, Lude privately visited Jed again and learned that he had recommended the necromancer Dick to be the new elder at the routine meeting.

Although some people raised objections at the meeting, most senior council members agreed. The other elders were more ambiguous, and none of them explicitly expressed their opposition. They simply confirmed a list of candidates and would hold a final vote at the next regular meeting when all senior council members were gathered.

The only thing that really bothered Jade was the attitude of "Evil Lawyer" Leopold, which revealed a subtle undercurrent.

Logically speaking, the other party was Jade's ally, and the two sides had already decided in private to join forces to deal with the Navarro family and try to get Jade to take the position of chairman. However, at this regular meeting, Leopold's speeches made Jade vaguely sense that something was wrong.

"This guy's stance seems to have changed."

End of this chapter

Of the five elders currently in the Brotherhood, "The Evil Lawyer" Leopold is probably the elder with the strongest individual combat power.

However, because this eccentric man was too engrossed in his research and spent most of his time in his mage tower, this reclusive magic geek was also the weakest elder, almost all alone, and could only keep company with various corpses every day.

It's worth mentioning that Leopold was once the head of the Three-Person Tower, and in terms of seniority, he was Hamilton and Debra's senior uncle. He was expelled from the Three-Person Tower three or four decades ago. Although he doesn't look particularly old, this is mainly because high-level mages who break through to a higher realm have their lifespans greatly extended; his actual age should be over a hundred years old.

The reason Leopold chose to ally with Jade was not because he feared the Navarro family, nor was he interested in the position of chairman. Rather, it was because Jade had been the main funder of Leopold's research for a long time and had also found many forbidden ancient books about human transmutation for the old wizard. Therefore, Leopold reciprocated by supporting Jade.

But at the recent meeting, Jade keenly sensed that the old magician's stance seemed to have subtly shifted. The other party thought he had concealed it well, but Jade, skilled in rhetoric and communication, could tell something was amiss from the words and tone of his voice.

"You suspect he's siding with Navarro?"

“That’s possible. After all, what I can give to Leopold, Navarro can theoretically give as well. I don’t think that old guy is a man of honor at all.”

Jade is now very worried that if Leopold really sides with Navarro, or chooses to remain neutral, he will likely be at a disadvantage in the upcoming election for chairman.

Because of the other two elders, Shirley claimed to be neutral, but in reality she was a fence-sitter. Once she found that Jade's side was at a disadvantage, she would definitely side with the Navarro family immediately. Masi's situation was similar to hers. This half-orc giant's mind was not as rough as his appearance suggested.

"So, you think the next chairman will definitely be chosen from either you or the Navarro family?"

"if not?"

“Mr. Jade, have you forgotten someone?”

"Who?"

"The former president!"

Throughout the entire Brotherhood, the former president was a very mysterious figure. The reason he stepped down was that the God of Thieves had issued a divine decree, and then he seemed to vanish into thin air, leaving a few elders to select a new president.

Lude then took the opportunity to smear Jade, saying that this guy had been controlling the Brotherhood for many years, deceiving his superiors and subordinates, and that it was the God of Thieves who noticed his blasphemous behavior and sent down a divine decree to make him "dignify himself".

Jade was initially skeptical of this claim, but his own experience set in motion. Twenty-five years of fruitless waiting had turned him from a young man into a middle-aged man, and he was now approaching old age. The more he thought about it, the more he felt that he might really have been deceived.

In front of Jade, Lude pretended to "analyze" for him. First of all, the oracle was definitely true. The God of Thieves told the Brotherhood to choose a new leader on their own. The reason he didn't appoint one was probably because he hoped they could each rely on their own abilities to choose the most capable person.

But the former president, who has controlled the Brotherhood for nearly two centuries, is probably not willing to step down so easily. He may not dare to openly defy the will of God, but he can certainly resort to underhanded tactics. For example, he could interfere in the election of the new president and put someone who obeys his faction in power.

As for why the God of Thieves himself didn't come to take care of it, Lu De had previously given Jade a "lecture".

The world inhabited by mortals is called the mortal realm, while the gods come from the divine realm high above, where a kingdom belonging to the gods exists. Some of the gods responded to the prayers of mortals and thus became gods with divine positions.

However, the gods do not stay in the mortal world forever. They spend most of their time in the divine realm. It is not easy for them to come to the mortal world. Therefore, the mortal world needs religious personnel to manage the believers below, which gives some people the opportunity to take advantage of the situation.

After his analysis, Lude emphasized that these were just his immature guesses, since they had no reliable evidence. But seeing Jed's thoughtful expression, he had clearly taken it to heart.

After his meeting with Jade, Lude left the casino and returned to the opera house. Along the way, he saw countless beams of faith flying across the city sky, in various colors. The most prevalent color at this moment was gray, representing the faith in the God of Thieves—a vast, hazy expanse, like a swirling fog.

Most of these thief gods' beliefs came from viewers of "The Count of Monte Cristo". Individual beliefs may not be worth mentioning, but in terms of numbers, they have an overwhelming advantage over the members of the Brotherhood of the Black Hand.

As this wave of faith floods in, the Thief God faith circle in Yanmu City will undergo structural changes without anyone realizing it.

Perhaps in the short term, this will benefit the imposter. She will find that her faith has suddenly increased significantly, and she is one step closer to a breakthrough. However, as these new faiths increase and gradually begin to occupy the majority of the overall faith pool, the imposter may not be able to laugh anymore.

However, Lud also knew that this tactic was not guaranteed to work. Its theory was entirely based on his speculation about the special energy of faith. He had neither the opportunity nor a suitable subject to test it before, so it was somewhat of a gamble.