Goddess Kaleidoscope

On the stage, a distinctly dwarf's voice suddenly rang out, startling many audience members. Before anyone could complain, the voice changed to a very sweet female voice. Some villagers smiled knowingly, thinking, "Isn't that Sister Aina from the temple?"

Because of her pleasant voice, Aina was temporarily invited by the troupe to work as an announcer. This wasn't a particularly difficult job, and since Aina herself seemed eager to try, Ludl agreed.

The knights and dwarves who were unfamiliar with Aina only thought that this girl had a nice voice and that she should be able to sing very well, but the villagers couldn't help but smile, as if they were thinking of some happy things.

After the announcements, the stage fell into a brief silence once more. The audience in the front rows stared intently ahead, while those in the back rows strained their eyes, worried they wouldn't be able to see clearly from such a distance. Fortunately, thanks to the sound check earlier, they were no longer concerned about not being able to hear clearly.

However, at that moment, some magical changes occurred on the previously empty stage. Many huge objects appeared out of thin air, accompanied by a deep, resonant baritone voice reciting the opening poem.

"This story takes place in the famous city of Narowe..."

As the opening poem introduced the plot background, a huge illusion projection appeared on the stage, as if a group of giants were performing on stage, which immediately caused a lot of gasps in the audience.

This scene reminded Lude of his past life, when a 3D movie first appeared in his hometown, and how the audience reacted when they saw the image protruding from the screen.

The gigantic actors reassured the audience in the back rows who were initially worried about not being able to see clearly, while Lu De, sitting alongside a group of big shots in the VIP section of the stands, wore a satisfied smile.

The performance officially began, and as things progressed smoothly, the previously noisy stands quickly quieted down, all the audience captivated by the story unfolding on stage. Some noble knights who had seen musicals elsewhere admitted that this play was very different from those they had seen before.

Even without gimmicks like "dragon audience" and "illusion effects," the script of Romeo and Juliet itself is excellent in terms of storytelling and pacing.

The only problem is probably the sense of déjà vu.

This subtle sense of déjà vu is limited to the knights belonging to House Ramley and House Gammelin; the local villagers and dwarves do not experience it.

To confirm that this strange feeling wasn't unique to them, some knights secretly began to whisper among themselves.

"Hey, do you guys sense anything's wrong?"

"Hmm, I have a feeling the script is hinting at something."

"What kind of hints are these! It's all out in the open, okay? That Juliet character, aside from having a couple more, is practically identical to our young lady! As for that Romeo..."

"Shh~ Keep your voice down! The young lady isn't far from us. If she hears what you just said, none of us brothers will see the sun rise tomorrow!"

Soon, the whispers subsided, but the knights' gazes towards each other revealed an unspoken understanding.

In fact, not only the knights who were afraid of retaliation, but also Sharo herself felt something was off. She admitted that the play was really good, the plot was very exciting, and the story was captivating and suspenseful, but there was a subtle sense of unease in her heart.

Especially when she turned her head and inadvertently saw Rodriguez next to her, the baby-faced giant clearly turning his head away shyly, Sharo almost wanted to draw her sword and challenge him to a duel, just like when she was a child.

"I challenge you to a duel!"

Just as Sharo had the thought of killing someone pop into her mind, a sharp shout suddenly came from the other side of the stage. She turned her head in surprise to look at the stage. It turned out that the plot had progressed to the masquerade party, Romeo and Juliet's first meeting.

In the original story, the male and female protagonists fall in love at first sight at a ball, and the intense love that bursts forth in their hearts cannot be suppressed. However, when Servis was reading the script, she felt that this part of the plot could be given some dramatic conflict. So, to cater to the tastes of the local market, Ludwig added a fight scene of a duel in the garden.

The general plot is that Romeo and Juliet, both wearing masks, have a minor, harmless misunderstanding at a ball. They then avoid the other guests and go to a secluded garden for a sword duel. The fight is dance-like, but includes some rather erotic scenes. For example, Romeo, portrayed as a swordsmanship prodigy, deliberately uses his rapier to unbutton the first pair of buttons and the left shoulder strap of Juliet's low-cut dress, making her breasts bounce more noticeably.

The male audience erupted in enthusiastic cheers, and at that moment, humans and dwarves achieved a mutual understanding!

As the plot unfolds, viewers are completely captivated and drawn into the story. At times, they are amused by the witty and humorous priest Lawrence, and at other times, they are so touched by the intimate interactions between the male and female leads that they can't help but smile with a sense of relief, just waiting for the happy ending of the two lovers.

However, the innocent and naive people of the other world are unaware that the creators from Earth are a group of terrifying demons: bento vendors, warriors of love, and heartless crocodiles. These indescribable beings are spreading their black wings in the other world through Rud's hands.

So, after the sweet moments of a secret rendezvous under the moon and a private vow of marriage, the eagerly anticipating audience finally bit into the shards of glass disguised as candy!

The plot takes a sharp turn with the death of Mercutio, officially entering the second half. In the first half, the play created a romantic comedy atmosphere for the audience, so the sudden death of a character really startled everyone.

Before this, this primitive world, which was still recovering, did not have many professional creators. Therefore, the development of the literary and artistic circles was in a "restart" stage after a period of decline. Many works lacked intellectual depth and the character settings tended to be simple and stereotypical.

In many conventional plays, within the first five minutes, the audience can judge from the actors' behavior and appearance who will survive and who will die a gruesome death. However, this traditional basis for judgment fails when they watch Romeo and Juliet.

In the first half of the story, Mercutio is portrayed as Romeo's angelic best friend who frequently helps him out. Although the story doesn't explicitly state it, it subtly hints to the audience that Mercutio, played by an actress, is also interested in Romeo. Some of the gay interactions between the two male characters caused some female audience members to swoon.

It's worth mentioning that the actors who played Romeo and Mercutio were actually an unmarried couple in real life, and were also said to be cousins.

Once, when Rudd visited the film set, he accidentally stumbled upon Romeo "pushing" Mercutio's buttocks, who was dressed as a man, in the prop room. The shocking scene truly terrified him.

No one expected that the lovable Mercutio would die so suddenly. The audience was stunned into silence, their expressions exactly the same as Mercutio's unseeing death on stage. It wasn't until his witty but kind-hearted cousin Tybalt was also killed by Romeo, who had transformed into a sword saint.

"Holy crap! My cousin's gone too!?"

"Priest! Where is the priest? Is he watching a play?"

In the stands, some audience members who were completely engrossed in the drama were wailing. Lud hadn't expected the reaction to be this strong. Fearing that someone might lose control of their emotions, he quickly released a massive crowd calming spell. Seeing this, Ural couldn't help but think to himself, "The Chosen One really can do whatever he wants!"

Soon, the biggest plot conflict in the whole story arrives: Romeo is exiled for murder, and Juliet is about to be forced into marriage. Although her fiancé is the young and wealthy Count Paris, Juliet has already pledged her life to Romeo and can no longer accept any other man in her heart.

Thus, Lawrence, the priest who secretly supported their relationship, once again played a crucial role. He suggested to Juliet, who came to him for help, that she fake her death and then inform Romeo to go and find her, so that the two could elope without anyone knowing.

In an instant, the audience, along with Juliet, rekindled their hope.

Then the author responsible for writing "Fate" once again played a malicious joke: Lawrence's letter failed to reach Romeo. Upon learning of his lover's sudden death, the heartbroken Romeo went to the cemetery alone, dug up his lover's grave, and wanted to die together with him.

Unexpectedly, Count Paris, who also deeply loved Juliet, came to the cemetery late at night and stumbled upon Romeo digging up the grave. Overwhelmed with rage, he engaged Romeo in a deadly battle without saying a word. In the end, due to the disparity in equipment, he died by Romeo's sword. But on his deathbed, he sighed and begged his rival not to destroy the grave and disturb his wife's peaceful sleep.

Just then, the narration began, and Romeo finally understood that the man before him loved Juliet no less than he loved himself. So he sighed and closed Juliet's eyes.

Sitting in the stands, Lud listened intently. Many audience members around him were quietly sobbing, while some, like Aina, were crying out loud, demonstrating how deeply the story had impressed them.

"Yes! It's time to deliver the final blow!"

Romeo silently recited the words "no mercy" in his heart, and the most classic scene in the story began. Romeo, having dug up the grave, gazed at his beloved Juliet, who appeared to be merely asleep. He knelt beside the coffin, weeping as he poured out his longing and love for her. Without Juliet, the world held no meaning for him. Then, he took out the poison he had prepared beforehand and, without hesitation, tilted his head back and drank it all in one gulp.

At that very moment, Juliet, who had taken the drug to fake her death, woke up.

Perhaps the actors backstage figured out how to use the illusion projector, because suddenly the image on stage magnified and focused on the faces of the male and female leads. The actor playing Romeo delivered an exceptionally brilliant performance, especially the subtle changes in his eyes, which were simply breathtaking.

Shock, joy, despair! In just a few seconds, without a single line of dialogue, Romeo's emotional journey was vividly portrayed.

"I love you……"

After uttering his last line, Romeo collapsed into his lover's arms. Juliet, on the verge of emotional collapse, also wept bitterly while holding her lover's gradually cooling body. Then, she raised Romeo's ancestral sword and plunged it into her own chest, so that she could be with her beloved forever.

Meanwhile, several gasps of surprise came from the audience.

"Someone has fainted!"

"Depend on!"

Upon hearing that an audience member had an accident, Lu De, who was already prepared, immediately got up and rushed to the scene of the incident.

In the final scene of the play, the priest Lawrence and members of the two families rush to the cemetery upon hearing the news, only to find the bodies of three young people, while Romeo and Juliet, who should be enemies, are seen cuddling intimately together.

Lawrence, who knew everything, told everyone present the truth and tearfully denounced the heads of the two families, saying that if they hadn't perpetuated their family feud generation after generation, this series of tragedies would not have happened.

It can be said that the central theme of the entire play "Romeo and Juliet" lies here: calling on people to put aside hatred and embrace love and peace.

At this moment, Ludwig was unsure whether the tens of thousands of audience members present understood the core of the play, but he did learn a lesson.

That means if such a tragedy happens again, we must prepare an emergency rescue team and quick-acting heart medicine on site. Hundreds of people fainted before and after, and we can't possibly save them all by ourselves!

End of this chapter

Although the process was somewhat bumpy, the premiere of Romeo and Juliet was undoubtedly a great success in the end, with a live audience of 15,000 people, including a family of black dragons!

After the play ended, all the actors walked hand in hand to the front of the stage, but the audience, which was packed with people, was completely silent.

Seeing this, Lu De, who was rescuing people, knew that most people were probably still immersed in the plot and couldn't pull themselves out, so he stood up and led the applause.

Led by his example, the audience finally came to their senses and rose from their seats to applaud, a thunderous and prolonged ovation. On stage, Servis, with tears in her eyes, had finally returned to where she once stood after eight years, and now stood even higher than before. All of this was thanks to a "giant" who had offered her his shoulders!

The next day, the buzz surrounding "Romeo and Juliet" did not dissipate with the end of the premiere; instead, it intensified overnight.

Everyone who saw the premiere became a fan, enthusiastically discussing the plot and recommending it to those who hadn't seen it yet. Some particularly enthusiastic individuals with spare cash had already booked tickets for tonight's performance, ready for a second viewing.

The Rainbow Dance Troupe suddenly became the village's biggest stars, even temporarily overshadowing Lud. The lead actors were often surrounded by enthusiastic fans when they went out during the day. Unfortunately, they didn't have phones for selfies, nor did they know about the typical city-dwelling fan tactics of asking for autographs. They were more interested in getting close to their favorite characters; a simple handshake would have been enough for them.

Since there were no truly villainous characters in the entire series, several main supporting characters, in addition to the male and female leads, also gained a considerable number of fans. The tragic ending, which resulted in the near-total annihilation of the cast, left a deep impression on the audience and sparked widespread reflection.

Why did this happen when there were no bad guys and the plot didn't seem to defy logic at all? Who was actually doing the evil? Was it simply a coincidence or a misunderstanding?

People began to think and discuss, and soon someone discovered the problem: the root cause of the tragedy was hatred itself.

Of course! The topics of discussion weren't all philosophical speculations. For example, the knights from the two garrisons outside the village were discussing a different issue.

Influenced by the play, the knights from both families found Salo and Rodriguez to be like Romeo and Juliet. The image of the two sitting together watching the play last night had become a fixed image in many people's minds, and under the influence of their idealized thinking, they became more and more "matched"!

"Guys, what do you think... is there any possibility that our young lady (young master) is having an affair with the other party?"

"No way, do you even know how to talk? What do you mean by 'having an affair'? Didn't you watch the show yesterday? That's called 'privately engaged for life'! Don't you even know that? How vulgar!"

"Oh, so be it! Let's just talk about whether it's possible or not."

"You know what, it's actually possible!"

The knight who said this was beaming with pride, claiming that he had followed the Earl's family for more than ten years and therefore knew many "secrets" that the younger generation did not know.

For example, ten years ago, there was a brief period of détente between the Ramli and Gammelin families.

At that time, the Earl took the thirteen-year-old Sharo to visit the Duchy. During a ball, Miss Sharo met the eldest son of the Duchy, Rodriguez, for the first time. The two children actually went to the back garden to have a sword fight behind the adults' backs. As a result, Rodriguez accidentally injured Sharo's face, and the scar on the corner of the young lady's eye was left at that time.

This incident led to a further deterioration in the relationship between the two sides, but now, after watching the play and reflecting on it, everyone has suddenly come to have some different opinions.

You should know that Miss Sharo is one of the best young knights in the Earl's territory. No knight of her generation can surpass her. In one-on-one duels, she has never lost to anyone except Rodriguez.

So it's entirely possible that the one and only defeat ten years ago caused the extremely proud Sara to fall for someone, but because of her awkward personality, she was too embarrassed to say it.

And to be honest, although Sharo has a bad personality and a flat chest that makes people afraid of her, in terms of looks alone, she can definitely be called a "great beauty"! So everyone imagined the young lady now shrinking back to the tender and beautiful age of thirteen, and they felt that Rodriguez had no reason not to be moved.

"If you ask me, art imitates reality! I've heard that many playwrights like to adapt scripts based on real events. Who knows, our young lady might have actually pledged her life to that young master, and the officiant might even be that priest named Rude."

"Who do you think has secretly pledged their life to whom?"

Several knights were engaged in a lively discussion when they suddenly heard Sharo's voice coming from behind them, his tone icy as if he had been imbued with frost magic.

The crowd turned back in despair to see Sharo, dressed in full military attire, standing at the entrance of their tent, a chilling sneer on his face, one hand still tightly gripping the hilt of his sword at his waist, his anger seemingly about to solidify into a tangible form.

"You guys are pretty free, aren't you? Put on your protective gear and come out here. I'm going to give you a good sparring session today!"

"Young Miss, we were wrong!"

"Hmph! It's too late to say anything now."

Before long, the wails of several gossipy knights echoed across the Earl's camp, while at the temple, Rudd was calculating the revenue generated by last night's theatrical performance.

The first source of income was ticket sales. After deducting the approximately one thousand free tickets given away during promotions and some discounted tickets, the final ticket revenue exceeded 60,000 copper coins, which is equivalent to earning six gold coins in one night.

This amount is indeed a considerable sum for ordinary people at the bottom of society, but if we consider it purely from a profit-making perspective, the returns are far less than selling medicine. You see, Lud's current flagship product, "Evelina's Tears," costs five gold coins per bottle at wholesale price, and it's in high demand! Compared to that, the money earned from selling theater tickets is simply negligible.

But from the perspective of collecting faith, last night's event was a huge success!

Although the deities promoted by Ludd do not actually appear in the play, their statues, serving as props, are ubiquitous, almost like "Easter eggs" hidden in some scenes. Some of the most memorable scenes were even arranged with a strong religious atmosphere at Ludd's suggestion.