Goddess Kaleidoscope

Of course! The ticket price fluctuates depending on the wealth of the performance area; the price is not completely fixed.

Thanks to the free tickets given by Servis, the Joker let Lud and his group in.

Before entering, Lud thought the interior would be similar to the circuses he had seen in movies in his previous life. But once inside, he realized he had been wrong again. There were no circular tiered seats at all. The large tent was simply surrounded by a wooden fence, with the performance space inside and the audience standing outside the fence to watch.

Actually, if you think about it carefully, it's not hard to understand. The circus has about thirty people who travel all over the country for performances. The whole troupe only has three caravans. Just carrying the large tent for the performance and other props is already difficult enough. It's obviously unrealistic to prepare a bunch of extra seats.

Moreover, there is an unspoken advantage to not placing seats: the venue can accommodate more spectators, as standing saves much more space than sitting.

In fact, most villagers don't care whether they sit or stand.

The only commendable feature of the entire venue was a magic lamp hanging high above the center of the tent. Because of this lamp, there was no need to place lighting torches in the venue, which saved a lot of space.

When Lude and his group entered, there were already quite a few people in the tent. Although Songshu Village cannot be considered wealthy at present, it is at least able to make ends meet. The villagers generally have hope and feel that there is something to look forward to in the future. Therefore, even though it is the busy farming season, they are willing to spend some money to make themselves and their families happy.

Before long, the tent, which wasn't very big, was already filled with eager spectators. Lud estimated there were about two hundred people, and he could also see Eru not far away.

At that moment, accompanied by a clanging sound, a clown walked into the arena and announced the start of the performance to the audience in a rather comical voice. Then, to the accompaniment of lively drumming, a group of men and women dressed in brightly colored costumes ran out from the actors' passage and began performing various acrobatic tricks around the arena.

To be fair, the actors put on a great show, and most of the villagers enjoyed it. The children shouted excitedly, while the adults clapped and cheered. Some of the village's single men even whistled frivolously at the scantily clad actresses, creating a lively atmosphere.

Driven by this atmosphere, Aina, who had been deliberately keeping a straight face, quickly lost her composure and started jumping and hopping like a child, her cute little face once again blossoming into a bright, angelic smile.

Seeing this, Lu De, who was standing behind, couldn't help but smile with relief. At the same time, he couldn't help but sigh that his mindset was becoming more and more like that of an old father.

The circus performances continued one after another, and soon it was time for the final show, "The Canary Singing Love Songs," which was performed by the troupe leader, Servis, herself.

As the announcer read out the program name, the light from the magic lamps overhead quickly dimmed, plunging the venue into darkness. When the lights came on again, Servis, dressed in an apricot-colored long dress, was already hanging in the center of the arena, softly humming a melodious tune, her posture dignified and elegant.

The stage effects were good, but this perception was limited to ordinary people who could not see through the darkness. Because Lud was chosen by the three gods, he had the night vision ability shared by Hume, the god of thieves, so he could clearly see Servis running up in the dark, lifting the hem of her skirt.

Along with them came two burly men dressed in black who looked like ninjas. These two guys were responsible for lifting Servis onto the boom bar, and then they had to run back before the surrounding audience's eyes started to adjust to the darkness. One of them even fell down in a very embarrassing way and had to crawl back on his hands and feet.

Having witnessed this scene in the darkness, Ludwig was no longer amazed when he saw Servis again, and even almost laughed out loud, which was quite unkind of him.

It's true that nothing is easy, and being an actor is tough too.

To be honest, Servis's singing was quite good, and the lyrics weren't just a simple pile of fancy words; they told a story of unrequited love. The plot seemed a bit cliché to Ludwig, but it was still plausible.

While singing, Servis performed various acrobatic moves with a high degree of difficulty on the bar. At the same time, her singing was steady and calm, without any change in pitch due to the vigorous movements. Judging from her physical strength and lung capacity, Lude guessed that she must have been trained in martial arts.

Then, some more actors came on stage and began to perform around Servis, like backup dancers. Although the movements were still in the style of acrobatics, Ludwig could clearly see that they were playing the characters from the lyrics, which gave the whole performance a theatrical feel.

"Hmm! This is starting to get interesting."

After watching the entire performance, Lu De felt that only the last acrobatic stage play was somewhat interesting, and what was most commendable was their performing spirit.

Before coming to see the performance, Lude had heard Hume say that in this world, whether they call themselves a dance troupe or an acrobatic troupe, the vast majority of street performers actually follow a vulgar route, attracting the audience's attention by selling their bodies in the most blatant way. Some are simply "mobile brothels" with clearly marked prices for their performers.

In contrast, while Servis's Rainbow Circus also sells sex, at least it does so within certain boundaries. Moreover, they haven't given up on their pursuit of art, and in terms of artistic level alone, they are a cut above their complacent counterparts.

Soon, Servis's performance ended, and Ludwig led the applause for their energetic performance, which was followed by enthusiastic cheers.

Servis jumped down from the boom bar, caught her breath, and then led her band members in a bow to the audience.

Their first show in Pine Village was a great success. Although they had deliberately lowered the ticket price to the lowest possible level, they hadn't expected the first show to be sold out. The thought of having another suitable place for a tour brought an irrepressible smile to Servis's face.

The entire performance lasted for about an hour and a half. The audience left with a sense of unfinished business, while the actors went backstage to rest and recover their energy for the second performance.

Under normal circumstances, they start performing around 5 p.m. and can usually run two to three shows, with each show accommodating 200 people.

Based on past experience, if the locals are very wealthy and there is no competition from other performers, up to two-thirds of the population may come to watch, which means that the entire Pine Village can provide them with about two thousand viewers for a total of ten performances.

A gain of sixty silver coins is quite a good return.

However, Servis knew that this amount of money was indeed a considerable sum for them, but it was nothing compared to those famous song and dance troupes that were based in major cities and were adored by the nobility. Those troupes could probably earn more than that for just one ticket.

Ten years ago, Servis, who had just gained some fame for her beautiful singing voice, also made a bold statement, vowing to make a name for herself in the world of song and dance and one day make her Rainbow Circus famous all over the world.

Unfortunately, ten years have passed, and Servis, who has gone from a young lady to a senior lady, is still as lukewarm as her Rainbow Circus. Their audience is limited to commoners and a few lower-class nobles, but for the real elites, the name Rainbow Circus may never have been heard of.

The thought that in a few years she might go from being the eldest sister to what others see as an old lady filled Servis with sadness, because she had very little time left to continue striving.

End of this chapter

The circus's first day performance in Pine Village was a great success, and Servis recognized the locals' spending power, leading to their official inclusion in her tour.

They plan to stay in the area for about three more days, two of which will be for performances, with three shows each day. On the third day, they will take a short break to allow the troupe members to relax before setting off for the next town.

Since the performances don't start until the evening, Servis usually lets the troupe members rest well during the day to conserve their energy for the evening show. She, on the other hand, will wander around the village, looking for a few promising talents to nurture and bring in some fresh blood.

In most cases, smaller circuses are purely family-run groups, with everyone in the circus related by blood or marriage. The younger generation grows up in the circus, learning the craft from their elders and eventually inheriting the family business.

Larger circuses, like Rainbow Circus, while still having core members who are blood relatives, also recruit outsiders, who can be divided into two types.

One type is those with skills. These people usually come from diverse backgrounds; some are self-taught, while others come from other circuses. If they are from a former company that went out of business and disbanded, that's better. The real danger is those scumbags who were kicked out by their former employers for misconduct. If you hire such people without thoroughly investigating their background, they could become ticking time bombs.

Therefore, in comparison, Servis preferred a more secure way of recruiting new members, which was to recruit underage apprentices, buying children between the ages of five and ten to train herself.

This so-called "apprenticeship contract" is essentially a disguised form of human trafficking, it's just that it's not as offensive to say it out loud.

Servis felt no guilt about buying the children; in fact, she felt she was doing a good deed. She reasoned that any poor family forced to sell their children must be doing so because they couldn't afford to raise them. By buying these children, feeding and clothing them, and teaching them real skills, she believed they had a better chance of survival than if they remained in impoverished homes.

Servis had previously trained three apprentices, whom she treated like her own daughters. Just when they were about to begin their stage performances, a series of accidents occurred. One died of illness, another was carried off by a wild animal in the wilderness, and the last one, on whom Servis had placed the most hope, eloped with some unknown stranger, leaving Servis so angry that she couldn't eat for days.

Servis could tell that Pine Village was quite wealthy, but even the wealthiest places have poor people. She thought she might be able to find someone suitable.

However, after wandering around for a while, Servis soon discovered that there wasn't a single child to be seen in the village, even in broad daylight. They weren't playing in the village, nor were they helping with the work in the fields.

Servis remembered clearly that during the performance last night, a total of three shows were held, and many children came in, but during the day now, not a single one could be seen in the village, which seemed very abnormal.

"Strange, where have all the children gone?"

With this question in mind, Servis arrived at the east end of the village and saw a very "strange" house there.

Unlike most of the wooden buildings in the village, this rather large mansion is luxuriously constructed with bricks, tiles, and even marble, and two militiamen from the self-defense group stand guard at the entrance. At first glance, it looks like the mansion of a wealthy person, but upon closer inspection, it doesn't quite seem like it.

Just as Servis was wondering what was going on, a clear bell suddenly rang out from inside the courtyard wall. A short while later, she saw the doors of the long houses inside the wall open, and a large group of children poured out. Servis suddenly realized that all the children she hadn't seen before were here.

"What's going on? Is this a workshop that specifically employs child laborers?"

Driven by curiosity, Servis asked the militiaman guarding the gate, and the answer she received surprised her—it was the village school.

"A school? A border village actually has its own school!?"

The militia's answer left Servis stunned, because in her traditional understanding, the concept of "universal basic education" simply did not exist.

When the Rainbow Circus first arrived in Pine Village, Servis had indeed heard that the priest Rudd of the Medicine God Cult had established a school there, but she assumed that the school, like many private schools in towns, was only for the children of wealthy families who could afford the tuition.

But the situation in Songshu Village was completely different. The school run by Lu De enrolled almost all the children under the age of twelve in the village.

So Servis asked the militiaman another crucial question: Could those students' families really afford the tuition? The militiaman gave her a strange look, as if she were an outsider, and pointed to the stone tablet on the school gate.

"This is Brewster Academy, funded by the Medicine God Cult. All children from this village can attend school here for free!"

The militiaman who said this looked very proud, and he didn't forget to boast about how good the school's benefits were. Not only was there no tuition, but the school also had a canteen where the children who came to school were provided with a rather sumptuous lunch.

Servis was completely dumbfounded when she heard this, because just by looking at the materials and scale of the mansion, she deduced that the school alone must have cost more than a thousand gold coins to build. Moreover, the students who came here not only did not pay tuition, but were even provided with meals. It seemed that this priest was just rich and had nothing better to do!

Having traveled extensively, Servis knew very well that most religious priests, though they always proclaimed themselves as "gods' agents on earth" and liked to boast about how just and benevolent they were, were actually not much different from those noble lords. They were only thinking about how to squeeze money out of the common people in the name of God, only they were more hypocritical.

Over the years, she had never seen a priest willing to use their noble divine arts on poor people who couldn't afford the high fees.

As for Lud, Servis initially didn't think he was any different from the other priests. He had a compassionate face, but he sold potions like "mysterious oil" that were supposed to cure men's unspeakable problems. So no matter how dignified he looked, he was definitely a lecherous old man at heart.

However, this guy who sold miracle oil spent a lot of gold coins to build a school that didn't charge tuition, giving free lessons to a group of farmers' children. This was completely beyond Servis's common sense and she found it hard to understand.

Just then, Servis suddenly saw Lud himself walking out of one of the classrooms, surrounded by a group of children. The old priest with a snow-white beard looked like he had a kind smile on his face.

Seemingly noticing that someone was standing and watching at the school gate, Lude looked up in their direction and then walked towards Servis.

"Good morning, Miss Servis, is there anything I can help you with?"

"Uh...it's nothing, I just happened to be passing by, so...I was a little curious."

Servis was too embarrassed to say directly that she was wandering around the village because she wanted to buy a few children to take back as apprentices, and only explained that she was interested in schools.

Rudd smiled upon hearing this, unsuspecting. The school he had built was indeed very eye-catching, and those who learned of its purpose would find it even more incredible. The concept of "basic education" didn't yet exist in this world, so even back when Rudd was still teaching children in the temple, some people didn't understand his laborious and potentially thankless work.

So, out of a complex mix of pride and a desire to prove himself, Ludwig generously extended an invitation to Servis, allowing her to freely visit the school if she was truly interested, provided she didn't disturb the children's classes, since there was nothing here to hide.

Driven by curiosity, Servis entered the school.

Thanks to last night's performance, Servis is now a celebrity in Pine Village. Many people in the audience watched last night's performance, while others are planning to go tonight or are still begging their parents.

Therefore, as soon as Servis entered the school, she was immediately surrounded by a large group of children who asked her all sorts of questions until Ludwig came to her rescue.

"Alright, alright, you little ones! Asking all these random questions is really bothering me. Do you all remember the rules for class? You have to raise your hand before you can speak! Besides, I'm here to visit the school. How am I supposed to walk around like this?"

After Lude's reminder, the children, who had been a bit too excited, finally quieted down. While thanking Lude for getting her out of the predicament, Servis was also inwardly cursing the two times he had called her "Auntie."

Just then, the bell rang again. Servis was puzzled, while the children around her let out a collective sigh of disappointment and then turned and walked back to the classroom.

Lude looked at the bewildered Servis and offered to explain.

"This is the school bell; students are about to attend their next class."

"Your Excellency, please forgive my ignorance, but what do these children mainly learn here?"

"Depending on age and knowledge level, the things they learn vary. The lower and middle classes mainly focus on literacy education, teaching reading, writing and arithmetic. In the process of learning these basics, children will gradually understand what they are good at, so that they can choose to learn a skill when they move up to the advanced class."

"So, your school is training craftsmen?"

"You could say that, my place is actually a technical school."

"But... does Pine Tree Village really need so many craftsmen? Or should we send them out to find work after they've completed their apprenticeships?"

“I have no intention of sending them away. In fact, these children are talents cultivated in advance for the development of this village. Talent is a valuable asset that can never be too much. Believe me, we will be able to make good use of them.”

End of this chapter

Although he was an undercover police officer in his past life, Ludwig, like many of his compatriots, is a staunch and incurable industrialist at heart.

Therefore, after gaining actual control of Pine Tree Village, Ludwig did not devote all his energy to missionary work, nor was he content with the status quo or satisfied with a small fortune. Instead, he decisively used his existing influence and connections to attract resources and carry out large-scale infrastructure construction in the area, paving the way for future economic development.

While striving to lead the villagers out of poverty and towards prosperity, Lu De did not neglect their spiritual needs. After all, humans are not machines; they cannot simply work overtime willingly just because the chairman shouts at them. Therefore, he also considered how to ensure that the villagers could relax both physically and mentally outside of work.

In light of this, Lud is actually very happy to see the Rainbow Circus perform in Pine Village. Even if they don't ask him to, Lud will pay out of his own pocket to have them perform a couple of shows there.

However, Ludwig's pursuit of culture and art was not merely about providing occasional relaxation for the more than three thousand villagers of Pine Village. Art was also a powerful tool of propaganda, capable of playing an unimaginable role in missionary work.