Raise Joan of Arc to be an empress, then discard her.

"Can that kind of place even be considered a house?"

“Our house is completely different now. We’ve rebuilt it, and it’s much more impressive than before,” Neve answered loudly.

"Oh, I'd really like to visit sometime," the rude voice said casually.

“I really don’t like the judgment of the church and the judges,” Herbert said.

The two men finally arrived at the door; they were Theo and Elliott, whom Aaron had summoned.

"Hey, I heard there's going to be a big battle with the dragon today, that's why I came." Theo grabbed Aaron's shoulder as soon as he arrived.

“Oh, that was just a precaution, we don’t need to say that now,” Aaron said.

"What do you mean by 'no need'? Have you reached an agreement?" Elliott asked in surprise.

“Yes, we’ve reached an agreement. He agreed to give me the dragon scales; there’s no need to fight.” Aaron looked at Herbert. “Is that right?”

“Yes, that’s right. Fighting is what barbarians like. A true gentleman only needs to talk once to understand what the other person is thinking.” Herbert turned and went into a small room. After a while, he came back with a small box in his hand.

"Is this it?" Aaron asked, seeing dragon scales for the first time.

“You’ll see when you open it,” Herbert said.

Aaron took the box from Herbert and opened the lid. Inside the red box, as if it contained a ring, was a black dragon scale. The scale was dull and lifeless, as if any light that approached it would be absorbed, just like the scales of the black dragon Aaron had seen.

“It’s so dark,” Aaron said.

"In your human world, there is an absurd claim that many people consider ignorant: the darker the dragon scales, the more powerful they are. Therefore, some people try their best to dye the scales when selling them. This behavior and this belief are often ridiculed, but in reality, there is some truth to it."

Herbert said, "Black dragons constantly change their scales, and theoretically, each time they change, their scales become stronger. Therefore, black dragon scales are also known as the strongest dragon scales."

"Theoretically speaking, the stronger the dragon scales, the more spiritual energy and light they can absorb. Therefore, powerful dragon scales are always dull and lackluster. When they are powerful enough, they can even distort the surrounding force field and light. The dragon scales I gave you have this ability, which is why you look so dark."

"So that's how it is." Aaron sighed inwardly. This kind of knowledge was probably only understood by the dragon race. It was extremely difficult for the human world to acquire such knowledge.

“So what I’m giving you is the best dragon scale, but with your current sequence, I’m afraid you can’t even unleash one percent of the dragon scale’s power.” Herbert closed the lid and handed the box to Aaron. “Go ahead. I hope I can introduce it to you again in two months.”

"What do you mean by introducing it again?" Theo asked.

Elliott interrupted him, saying that Herbert's willingness to give the dragon scales to Aaron was already the best thing, and they shouldn't cause any more trouble.

"How do I attach it to my body?" Aaron asked.

"It's very simple. Just put it on your chest and then accept the trial. Do you know about rejection reactions?"

“I know that. If it’s not your own organ that’s being implanted, there will be a rejection reaction,” Aaron said.

Chapter 227 Theater

The terrace and the view from the window were a major reason he rented the house in the first place; now, he finally has the chance to appreciate them properly.

Just then, the doorbell rang. Aaron was taken aback. Almost everyone he knew knew he was on vacation. Who would come to bother him at this time?

"Hold on."

Aaron opened the door, and a girl with chestnut hair was standing in front of it, still in the position of knocking. She was wearing a loose long dress and carrying a light suitcase. When they saw each other, they were both stunned, not knowing whether it was because of the long-awaited reunion or because of the changes in the other person.

"I'm still here."

As they stared at each other in surprise, another figure darted out from outside the door. The girl took off her sunglasses, revealing round eyes. Aaron looked at her in astonishment: "Miss Nadine?"

"Long time no see, Mr. Aaron. Freya and I came all the way from Lodoren to see you." Nadine waved to Aaron, her face beaming with the same beautiful smile she wore on stage.

The two girls went inside together, and Aaron went to the kitchen to make tea for them. For some reason, despite being noble ladies from the Kingdom of Dok who had seen all kinds of manors and mansions, the two girls were very interested in Aaron's three-bedroom house. They felt as if they were visiting a luxury villa when they were looking around the house.

"Is this the house you're living in now... How should I put it..." Freya frowned as she examined the house, even occasionally reaching out to touch various places, acting like a newlywed wife about to move in.

“It certainly can’t compare to where you live in Lodoren,” Aaron said as he brought out the tea set.

"It's not bad, but the house is a little small. It would be better if it were bigger." Freya gave a rare positive review.

"I didn't expect your evaluation to be so good," Aaron said.

"It's just okay for this location and price range. There are actually a lot of drawbacks, such as the furniture being a bit old and the walls having many flaws," Freya said.

“How wonderful! Doesn’t it look cozy here? And I love this terrace. Ah, just as I thought, Mr. Aaron will indeed make tea here.” Miss Nadine seemed to genuinely love Aaron’s place, and she twirled and danced around the house.

“Ah, I’ll take this room. I like rooms near the terrace,” Nadine said with a smile.

"I didn't expect you to come, so I didn't make any preparations. There are still empty rooms available." Aaron was also considering it. Actually, he thought it would be more appropriate for the two girls to stay in a hotel, but seeing how excited they were, he thought it would be better not to spoil their fun.

"Freya, where are you going to stay?" Nadine suddenly asked.

“Me? There are only three rooms here, so of course I can only choose the other one,” Freya said.

“Can’t I share a room with Mr. Aaron?” Miss Nadine said with a smile.

"I... um..." Freya's face flushed red instantly, and she suddenly became very flustered.

"Haha, just kidding. But you can share a room with me. I just checked, the bed is a bit small, but we can squeeze in and sleep together," Nadine said with a smile.

"Don't joke like that..."

"Why is Freya's reaction so interesting?"

Aaron, holding his black tea, watched the two girls playfully bickering and suddenly realized that he was indeed on vacation.

“By the way, we’ve come here today with a purpose, it’s not just about having tea at Mr. Aaron’s house,” Nadine suddenly said.

"Did you make a reservation at the restaurant?" Aaron asked.

Nadine shook her head: "Let's go to the theater together this afternoon."

"The theater?" Aaron was taken aback. "Did Miss Nadine come to Birmingham to perform?"

“No,” Nadine shook her head. “I’m here on vacation too, but don’t you think it’s interesting to watch other people work while you’re on vacation?”

“I can understand.” Aaron was speechless, especially when he saw Miss Nadine say such a thing with such a serious expression.

"Let's hurry up, we still need to buy tickets at the venue," Nadine said.

In the afternoon, crowds thronged in front of the Gloria Theatre.

Although the theater in Birmingham is not as luxurious as the one in Rodolphe, it has a strong theater atmosphere. In the afternoon, the area in front of the theater is already bustling with cars and people, and many well-dressed nobles get out of their cars and lead beautiful female guests.

Birmingham has produced theater stars like Nadine, so no matter how big or small the theater is in Birmingham, ticket scalpers always advertise Miss Nadine in front of the door, and today the Gloria Theater is also starring Miss Nadine's famous play.

Aaron, Freya, and Nadine arrived at the riverside restaurant by carriage and then walked the rest of the way. There was no luxurious carriage to pick them up, nor were there a large entourage of servants behind them.

Nadine and Freya were still wearing the clothes they had worn when they first arrived in Birmingham. Nadine had come secretly without informing the theater, so she wanted to conceal her identity as much as possible. Her large trench coat and sunglasses remained with her. As for Aaron, since the two female guests were so casual, he did not change into the more formal attire required by the theater.

Despite their simple attire, the three of them still attracted the attention of those around them when they arrived at the theater. Of course, Freya and Nadine were the main focus of attention. Aaron also felt strange looks from time to time, probably because people were curious about who he was and how he could come to the theater with two female guests.

The theater was Nadine's home turf, and they all followed Nadine's instructions. Sure enough, they soon saw someone who looked like a theater resident standing at the entrance, anxiously looking around. As soon as they approached, the person recognized Nadine at a glance.

“Sorry, we didn’t buy tickets in advance. Are there any seats left in the theater?” Nadine asked.

Her request seemed a bit unreasonable, because the lead actress in the theater today was a recently popular actress, a star in Birmingham, and there were quite a few nobles who came to support her. It would be difficult to get a ticket without connections, but the staff member readily agreed: "We always reserve front-row tickets for Miss Nadine. Please follow me."

They entered the theater through the VIP entrance, took the elevator to the top floor, where the enormous circular theater was laid out before them.

Aaron had seen plays in Lusset, but this was his first time in a place like this since arriving in Doc. Seeing the exquisite murals on all four sides and the elegantly dressed guests below, he was slightly dazed.

“Our theater also offers complimentary champagne, and I heard that if you’re a VIP, they can even offer you complimentary steak,” Miss Nadine said, picking up a glass of champagne from the table and winking at the two of them playfully.

"What's on the show today?" Aaron asked, picking up the program list.

"It seems to be a play about heroes, in the Lussetian style, which was supposedly originally intended to be performed during Queen Lusset's visit to Doc, but was canceled due to unforeseen circumstances," Nadine said.

"Lucet's play?"

“Well, because it’s a Lucerne play, the actors will perform in Lucerne, and there are requirements for the audience, which is why I invited Mr. Aaron and Freya to come and watch it together,” Miss Nadine said with a smile, revealing her true intentions at this moment.

“So that’s how it is,” Freya said.

"Besides the lead actors, there are reportedly several newcomers in the troupe this time. Stay tuned!"

The lights suddenly dimmed, and Aaron knew this was the prelude to the performance. With the music and the deep male voice of the theater narrator, the curtain rose, and the theater actors came on stage. The moment Aaron saw the actors, he was stunned.

He clearly recognized the two actresses waiting to go on stage: Bella and Amelia. Just a few months ago, they were college students at the same university as Freya, and now they had transformed into actresses.

"Don't you guys... think those actors look familiar?" Aaron asked.

“Hmm? They’re very famous actresses in Birmingham. It’s normal to think they’re famous; you can see their posters in Birmingham all the time,” Miss Nadine said matter-of-factly.

Aaron fell silent. It was strange. Nadine and Freya were from the same university, so they should have known Bella and Amelia for longer. But they couldn't recognize them. Did they use their spiritual power?

“By the way, Mr. Aaron hasn’t actually been to the theater much before, has he?” Nadine suddenly said.

Aaron shuddered, and at that moment he had no choice but to admit, "How did you know?"

"Freya told me. Honestly, Mr. Aaron acted so knowledgeable before, I thought you were a veteran in the theater. I was wondering why I hadn't seen you before, so I told Freya that I had to have you come." Miss Nadine puffed out her cheeks, looking exceptionally cute.

Aaron could only offer a guilty smile in response. However, he might not be ignorant about theaters, but perhaps not Doc's theater, but Lucette's.

"I heard they even hired a teacher from Lucette specifically for this performance. Please enjoy it, Mr. Aaron." Miss Nadine was very understanding and quickly smiled.

"What are you whispering about?" Freya muttered in dissatisfaction, giving Aaron a glare that immediately drew his attention back to the stage.

At this moment, an amazing scene unfolded on the stage, and the audience in each stand couldn't help but gasp. Even those on their floor were no exception. During the performance, the actress suddenly spread her huge, jet-black wings and rose into the air like an empress. This magnificent performance immediately drew gasps from the crowd.

"Is it a prop? I didn't expect it to be so realistic."

“It’s supernatural power. Opera performances are becoming more and more advanced, and more and more people are using supernatural powers in their performances,” Nadine said.

Aaron was also taken aback, not because of the sudden appearance of supernatural power, but because Bella had brazenly used her blessing. However, since she was the natural blessing of the Kingdom of Dok, no one in the theater suspected her.

After watching for a while, Aaron finally understood what the opera was about. The female lead was actually Queen Lucerne, and the opera was about the story of the queen's youth.

Since the Queen ascended the throne, such plays have become commonplace in Lusset, mostly praising the Queen. But today's play is a little different. Although it is ostensibly the Queen's story, they created an original character in the play who is the Queen's guide. In the play, the Queen of Lusset even calls him her teacher.

Apart from Aaron, the audience in the stands did not react. The Lussetian incident is probably the most famous historical event in recent decades. It is not only a required knowledge point in history education, but also a topic of conversation for many citizens after dinner. Therefore, people are very familiar with the story of the Lussetian.

Regardless of the version, the story of Empress Lucette's origins never includes a teacher. Empress Lucette is the person prophesied by the previous Mad King, supposedly prophesied before she went mad. At that time, her name was Joan of Arc. She came to Asgard alone from her village. No one knows how a girl could travel thousands of miles from the countryside to Asgard, but she did it. Because she was Empress Lucette, people naturally accepted this narrative.

According to later rumors, the Mad King prophesied that she was the one who would change the history of Lucerne. So, as the prophecy foretold, Joan of Arc participated in various earth-shattering historical events. People know that she was educated in Lucerne and attended the White Tower Convent. This is the historical version that people know.

But in this play, Joan of Arc has an extra guide, an extra teacher, which surprised the audience in the Kingdom of Doc. How could such a performance be published? Won't the people of Lucerne be angry?

But in any case, they were not as shocked as Aaron, because since arriving in the Kingdom of Dok, Aaron had spent more than a decade accepting the current historical narrative. Sometimes he even felt that the past history was like a dream, but now familiar memories were returning to him in a new way.

During the climax of the performance, many audience members shed tears. In the scene where Queen Lucerne bids farewell to her teacher, one rushes to the battlefield while the other rushes to the palace. Although they knew that such a plot was probably fictional, the skillful performance and emotional impact still moved them to tears.

"The performance was so good, it was just like the real thing." The audience gave it such high praise that even the usually sentimental Freya couldn't help but shed tears.

"Miss Nadine, Mr. Aaron, Miss Freya, the theater cordially invites you to visit backstage." As the play drew to a close, amidst thunderous applause, a waiter in a tuxedo approached them and said softly.