novelraw Chapter 772: The Curtain
Chapter 772: The Curtain
Advertisements for "The Legendary Tale of Lu Li" and "Lu Li Attends the Performance" had packed the Mondali Theater with nobles and wealthy merchants.
The ticket prices alone, far beyond the reach of ordinary people, served as proof.
But their interest lay less with the play itself and more with Lu Li. Requests for a private meeting flooded the theater owner, who relayed them to Lu Li and his companions the moment they arrived.
Lu Li, as expected, declined the offers. A disappointed theater owner escorted them to a private box on the second floor.
The box offered an excellent view of the stage, concealed by a deep red curtain, and the nearly packed hall below.
Dean Rolens didn't stay, departing with the theater owner.
There were twenty minutes until the performance began.
As they waited, a commotion broke out outside their box.
“Let me in! The exorcist must be in there! Please, it’s urgent!”
The shouts came from a young man whom the guards had seized and were dragging from the door, struggling all the while.Alarmed by the commotion, they all stepped out of the box.
“What's going on?”
The guards stopped when they heard Lu Li's voice.
“Are you the exorcist?”
The young man, dressed in clothes that marked him as more than a commoner, pleaded with Lu Li:
“Please, you have to save my brother... he’s missing!”
“When?”
“Seven years ago...” The young man’s head dropped, only to snap back up a moment later.
“I keep having this dream where my brother tells me he’s trapped and is begging me to rescue him...”
“Then why haven’t you gone to him?” Katerina asked. She wore a cloak, still unaccustomed to the dress beneath it.
“Some people from another church told me it’s an anomaly trying to lure me into a trap, that my brother is long dead... Exorcist, do you think so too?”
“They are probably right.”
All hope draining from his face, the young man left. He had finally met the exorcist, but it wasn't the answer he had hoped for.
“You could have lied to him, you know,” Prusius remarked, settling at Lu Li’s feet after they returned to the box. “Told him something comforting.”
“He would never do that,” Katerina said. Having spent more time with Lu Li, she knew how direct he could be.
The play was about to start, and as the time drew near, a hush fell over the audience.
The curtain slowly rose.
The grand performance began.
A handsome young man wearing a black wig and a vibrant, flamboyant costume stood in a wooden boat at the center of the stage.
He was playing Lu Li.
But unlike the real, reserved Lu Li, this actor was brimming with energy and pathos. He was like a fairytale prince or hero, filled with righteousness, unafraid of authority, and firm in his convictions.
This “Lu Li” solemnly vowed to overcome the Third Calamity, spouting phrases the real Lu Li would never dream of saying.
He embarked on his journey, followed by a woman in a black cloak. Lu Li’s companions had reportedly changed over time, but the play had condensed them all into one.
A bitter coincidence.
From the Main Continent to the Wastelands, from the city of Lynx to Revoltown, “Lu Li” overcame countless hardships. But shortly after departing Revoltown, he encountered the journey’s greatest trial: a conflict with his companion.
The conflict ended with them parting ways. “Lu Li” pressed on alone, and the woman in black disappeared from the story.
In the second act, “Lu Li” wandered the wasteland alone, his once-magnificent costume now faded and worn. When the battered hero finally stood before Silence, the audience let out a collective sigh of relief.
Silence was depicted as a withered, stunted tree, a figure hanging from its thickest branch, swaying in the wind.
“Lu Li” drew a flintlock pistol and roared at the withered tree, “Silence! I hereby pronounce your death sentence!”
Bang!
A thunderous shot rang out from backstage, and smoke plumed from the barrel of the flintlock in “Lu Li’s” hand.
Silence shrieked and recoiled, while “Lu Li” collapsed to the ground, his strength spent.
“Did you really say that?” Prusius asked, tilting his head up.
“The closer you get to Silence, the longer you are unable to speak,” Lu Li replied calmly.
As they spoke, the stage lights dimmed, and dirt began to trickle down from above, gradually burying the collapsed form of “Lu Li.”
The curtain began its slow descent. Just before it concealed the stage completely, a hand thrust up from the mound of earth.
The play was over.
A scattered applause started, quickly swelling into a thunderous ovation. The clapping continued, fueled by the knowledge that the hero of the story was present.
“Mister Lu Li, I...” Prusius sniffled. He looked up, his eyes wet with tears. “I never knew you went through all that...”
Katerina’s feelings were far more complicated.
Her life experience had conditioned her to view such beautiful stories with contempt. She knew they were false—if they weren't, why had nothing of the sort ever happened to her?
Where was the prince when she was hiding in the sewers with the rats? Where was the hero when adults tormented her, leaving her to cry and beg for help? Who stood up for her when other hunters stole her kill?
Katerina had lived in darkness for so long that when a true light finally appeared, she couldn’t bear to look at it. She even found herself subconsciously resisting, doubting it could possibly be real.
She knew she shouldn’t think that way.
Knock, knock, knock.
A knock on the door pulled Katerina from her thoughts.
It was Dean Rolens and the theater owner.
“I hope you enjoyed the performance.”
After the pleasantries were exchanged, the theater owner made a request:
“The actors backstage would love to meet you.”
This time, Lu Li didn’t refuse and followed them backstage to meet the cast.
They were all ecstatic. The actress who played the “woman in black,” though no longer young, was as giddy as a schoolgirl. A middle-aged man with hair like a bird’s nest muttered to himself, “I got it all wrong... I shouldn’t have written it like that.”
Once they left the backstage area, they returned directly to their carriage. There, Lu Li parted ways with Katerina and Prusius, who headed back to the University of Claire, while he continued on to the city hall to prepare for the evening’s reception.
The carriage slowed as it neared the city hall, where a large crowd had gathered at the entrance.
As the carriage pulled to a stop, the crowd surged forward, only to be held back by a line of knights.
“Mister Lu Li, what are your thoughts on Midnight?”
“You’re the people’s hope!”
“Mister Lu Li...”
The entrance to the city hall was a cacophony of voices.
“The rest is up to you, Mister Lu Li,” Dean Rolens said, his voice laced with hope.
Lu Li gave a slight nod, stepped out of the carriage, and calmly ascended the steps into the city hall.
The staff waiting inside were visibly excited as they escorted Lu Li to an upstairs room.
“Councilor Sofi Shestrelen knows you dislike disturbances, so you won’t be bothered here,” a staff member said respectfully from the doorway.
“He also said that if you need any assistance, please do not hesitate to ask.”
This was no empty formality. Lu Li’s status was enough for them to go to great lengths for him.
Just as he had once done for the world.
After entering the room, Lu Li lowered his eyes. “Help me find someone,” he said quietly.