Chapter 81: Test of the Rose Windmill Cabaret (15)
Fourth Sunday of June.
The number of people in Cabarets Hall 1 was several times more than two weeks ago during the draw ceremony.
All members of the Circus, who were participating in the duel, were present.
The people from the Silver Veil Circus were all illusionists.
They expressed the philosophy that appearance is deceiving by covering their bodies with hooded robes and large cloaks.
The leader, Veil Arno, concealed his face with a silvery thread, and the deputy leader had wrapped herself tightly in a large cloth, revealing only her eyes.
While others were animatedly discussing the results of the duel, Veil Arno, the leader, remained silent.
He was always known for maintaining composure.
His chilly voice complemented his image.
However, this appearance was a mask crafted by time.
The deputy leader noticed the leaders trembling hands.
Her timid and worrisome nature remained unchanged over the years.
Feeling tense?
He heard the deputy leaders words and sighed.
Was it that noticeable?
The first opponent was not favorable. The Escape King.
Thats something the opponent might think too, right? Are we just an unknown circus? The opponent must have felt the pressure. The Escape King collapsed under the pressure too.
Veil Arno pondered the deputy leaders consolation for a moment, then spoke.
Should we have gone with the serialized content a few days ago?
He noticed that the VIP seats had been empty from the middle of the performance.
Those who purchased the 6-day pass found the repetitive narrative boring.
The deputy leader shook his head.
We would have missed the 1-day pass and 2-day pass audience.
Thats true. It was a challenging task.
Still, we managed to push it to the edge.
Thanks to the newcomers.
Their gaze turned to a corner.
At the end of the row where the officers were seated, there was a young woman playing with a crystal bead, engaging in various antics.
As a newcomer, she could sit next to the leader and other officers because she was responsible for managing a memory disk.
It seems the sales of inserted products are doing well.
This time, the idea to insert advertisements during the illusion was hers.
Her previous profession was a fortune-teller.
Using suggestion to control and guide the actions of guests was her specialty.
It feels somewhat unethical, but
If the opponent wasnt Pandora, I wouldnt have resorted to such methods.
Meanwhile, the atmosphere on Pandoras side was the opposite of the Veil.
The leader was excitedly shouting, and most of the members were calm.
Lweeni looked around her squad and nodded vigorously.
We will win.
However, there was no response from the squad members.
The expressions of the members looking at the leader were cold.
A womans head popped out of a cube, and she spoke.
It would be troublesome if we dont win. We showed even the unreleased work we were planning to use in the main event.
Upon her words, Lweeni blushed and coughed awkwardly.
Yesterday afternoon.
Despite the concerns and warnings from other members that it might not be appropriate, Lweeni brought out the unreleased work he had saved just in case.
It wasnt a card to be played in a place like this.
It was something that should be revealed on a bigger stage after consistent promotion, even if not in the main event.
However, he couldnt bear the thought of losing, so on the last day of the competition, he suddenly threw a large bomb.
To be honest, would you have pulled that out if this werent Yuge Maroines theater?
I was winning even without pulling it out.
It was a pointless move.
Ugh.
Lweeni sighed, unable to come up with a response to the complaints of the members.
Yug Maroine, the director of the Rose Windmill Cabaret.
Decades of rivalry in the industry.
Certainly, the strong desire not to show a losing side in front of that guy played a significant role.
About 30 minutes passed like that.
Behind the stage, Bouvalle walked out with a thoughtful expression on his face.
He was greatly excited about the income that exceeded expectations.
The count has just finished.
He looked down at the progress card in his hand.
Free to Enter, Pay to Enjoy. 1st Week Showdown. The Silver Veil Circus vs. Pandora Magic Show. I will announce the winner.
All eyes turned to Bouvalle when he raised his arm.
Even the journalists prepared to take notes for their articles.
The winner is
As he lowered his arm, spotlights moved.
Peoples attention naturally focused on where the light gathered.
There
Pandora Magic Show!
With Bouvallles declaration, thunderous cheers and applause poured toward them.
Among those who were momentarily surveying the venue and trying to understand the situation, the first to regain composure was, of course, the magician Lweeni.
He raised his finger to the sky and shouted his representative line.
You cant take your eyes off me for even a second!
Bouvalle explained the outcome of the match, comparing day-to-day earnings and strategies.
What made the difference in the end was his escape puzzle.
On the 6th day, people had to spend the remaining coins, and apparently, Lweenis puzzle, which was advantageous for storage and refund rather than food, became the target.
In fact, three people who won bets at the Wonderstein Circus had no suitable place to spend the coins and ended up buying additional puzzles.
In the world of illusions that started and ended with fantasy, there were no tangible goods to leave on the Silver veil side.
That difference decided the victory.
Souvenirs sell well during trips for this reason. People experience intangible treasures but still want to hold tangible trinkets.
Bouvalle added a brief comment.
Amidst the commotion, the winner and loser looked at each other.
It was not an easy contest.
They maintained a close gap until the very end, fluctuating between victory and defeat.
Veil Arno and Escape King had little interaction despite their long activity in the industry.
Most of what they heard about each other was through rumors.
Both learned a lot and gained a lot from this match.
Although the form of someone winning and someone losing prevailed in this competition, both knew well that it did not necessarily determine the superiority of performers, but rather the format of a duel.
After all, this defeat did not lead to elimination from the competition.
Two years was left.
There were plenty more opportunities.
They stood up from their seats.
It was time to shake off the aftermath of victory and defeat and exchange greetings as industry veterans.
Just as they were about to step away from each other, someone shouted.
Wait!
The voice sharply cut through the tumult of noise.
I object to the decision just made!
Among those present, many had also attended the opening ceremony.
The words wait and objection made me reflexively shudder, a memory from that day.
Even the owner of that voice was someone I had heard that day.
Viscount Dosville?
The face of Bouvalle, who saw the owner of the voice, wrinkled in displeasure.
That audacious individual.
Why did he come back here?
After making a scene like that.
Whats the matter?
Bouvalle said with an unpleasant expression.
Viscount Dosville responded with an innocent look.
Why? Did I come to the wrong place? I am a guest who received an invitation during the opening ceremony and is a VIP of this cabaret.
Viscount Dosville was known for his laxity.
Engaging in a verbal dispute with him would only be tiresome.
Bouvalle sighed, touching his forehead with his hand.
Fine, Viscount. Then why did you step forward?
Viscount Dosvilles appearance was shabbier than during the opening ceremony.
Even his beard seemed unkempt, and his hair was not well-groomed.
After the incident, he had been expelled from the mansion where he worked as a tutor, and even the law firm that used him as a legal consultant terminated his contract.
Everyone was watching the reactions of Baron Vergsong and Marquis Mustang.
Thanks to them, he had become a pauper overnight without income from the city nobility.
He laughed like a madman, spreading his arms wide.
Well, its to ensure fairness in the competition. There seems to be a problem with the results.
Our theater had no issues.
Bouvalle replied with a rough voice.
No, there were issues. Significant ones that could affect the results. Dont the rules include the following clause?
He pretended to read as if there were papers in front of him.
It is allowed to offer prizes or goods to induce purchases. However, the price of the prizes or goods is deducted only from the sales.
Bouvalle responded with an uneven voice.
There was no such act of offering prizes on both sides.
No, there was.
He pointed his finger to a specific place.
The attention of the people turned to that direction.
He pointed to the Wonderstein Circus Troupe.
He smiled at the white-haired girl in the beret, who was clearly the recipient of a valuable item.
Didnt that young lady there receive an item of considerable value?
Sighs and gasps were heard everywhere.
The story of the genius magician who solved a 4-level escape puzzle on the spot had become quite a topic.
She had taken the original puzzle with her.
It could be considered a prize for purchasing the puzzle.
A middle-aged man with glasses, who also served as an accountant for Pandora, stood up.
Well, but this is not a trick introduced for the competition. Offering the original to the first solver is a tradition of our circus.
No, no, no. Whether it was introduced for the competition or not is not the important point. If such a method is used, it could ruin the theme presented in this competition. Do I need to explain why this rule was introduced?
But that original is not for sale. It has no price! If you only deduct the cost of materials, the result would
Viscount Dosville showed a cruel smile filled with pleasure.
No, no. Its not just the cost of raw materials. I understand that the rule is based on the transaction value recorded in the Luz Trading Hall. Let me tell you. I went to the hall the day before yesterday and examined the ledger. And guess what? It was definitely there.
He pulled out a crumpled piece of paper from his pocket.
It had the stamp of the trading hall.
Yes. The originals of the escape puzzle series have gone through Luz twice in the last six months. Both times, the tariffs assessed at that time are recorded. Tariffs, metals, decorations. If you reverse calculate from these, you can deduce the market price. Oh, what a price it is. Haha, truly befitting of the Puzzle King.
The murmurs of the people grew louder.
Half of the public agreed with his statement, arguing that it should be considered a problem, while the other half insisted that everyone in the industry already knew about the puzzles of the Puzzle King, so what was the problem.
Viscount Dosville looked around with a cruel smile, pleased with the chaos he had created.
Think carefully. If this is allowed once, who knows what prizes will be offered and what tricks will emerge in the next rounds? It needs to be clear.
His words struck a chord.
If, for every ten bottles of liquor consumed, someone offered a diamond ring as a prize, people would go crazy buying only the liquor.
The regulation of prizes and goods was introduced to prevent such misconduct.
Allowing the escape puzzle would open the door for other circus troupes to cleverly bypass the rules.
The declaration of the winner will be temporarily suspended. After a management meeting, we will announce it again
Bouvalle disappeared hastily behind the stage.
The atmosphere in the hall, filled with the excitement of the contest, sank coldly.
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Chapter 80: Test of the Rose Windmill Cabaret(14)
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