The Cornflower Witch

Book 3: Chapter 14: The Opera Plan, (4)

With a bit of trepidation, Sylutia watched as Brandon organized what she had recounted into a rough draft of a script, then took people to the police station for interviews, and further refined it.

"How did you get the chance to look at the case files?" Sylutia couldn't help but ask curiously after Brandon and his colleague came out.

"Well, of course, that requires the use of some magical, wonderful connections," Brandon said with a wink, telling the young lady he would explain in detail after they returned.

The group boarded the carriage, left the police station, and headed for the theater.

Arriving at the theater's scriptwriting room, Brandon set down the pile of materials he was carrying, then stood up and loudly called out to the writers inside who were buried in their work, "My close friends, my partners, today I have brought a marvelous story outline, and a girl who captures your gaze at first sight." His words immediately drew the attention of those present. Many looked up and saw the young lady beside him, lightly covering her face with a book.

Wearing her school uniform, even the simple, common clothes could not hide the girl's captivating eyes. The clarity and liveliness shining within them were like an unopened book, containing thousands of unspoken words.

Guided by Brandon, the young lady had to put down the book in front of her and recount the previous robbery incident and the subsequent case. Her soft, clear voice seemed to have a magical quality, quickly immersing everyone in the story.

After she finished, what everyone was first interested in wasn't the event itself, but rather where this girl came from. Could she also be from the Helt family? That voice was even better than the theater's most famous songstress, possessing a natural, enchanting quality that made people willingly listen.

As for why it had this effect, on one hand, it was due to Sylutia's own special talent. On the other hand, it might also be because of the Meizhalansi family's bloodline. As the only poet in history to have glimpsed the Hours, his descendants were blessed by the Hours and possessed outstanding talent in the arts, especially producing many with beautiful singing voices.

After understanding the entire event, the scriptwriters already had some ideas and thoughts."However, Lord Brandon, what kind of theme do you intend to design for this story? A heavy one, a lighthearted one, a thrilling one, or a fun one? Simply piling up shocking events won't create a memorable story. That would be no different from reading sensational news in the papers, forgotten in an instant."

"This... although we haven't yet found the murderer's motive, let's tentatively design it as revenge. Then, when the time is ripe, the protagonist finally challenges the final boss. The process should be as thrilling as possible to heighten the audience's excitement. But because the protagonist killed too many people in the early stages, he must definitely die in the end to settle the grievances."

"How about this: write that he was bullied by someone when he was young, and due to some accident, his family died, giving him a deep-seated hatred. In the end, blinded by hatred, he causes a series of tragedies."

"Since this is for the audience to watch, the whole process can't be too bloody. Some plot points need to be told, but it also can't be too realistic and cruel. The love, hate, and conflicts that occur throughout the story are the main focus."

"We understand." With this explanation, many of the writers had a general idea.

Seeing this, Brandon turned his head and told Sylutia to relax. At that moment, he suddenly remembered something.

"Hedra, your voice is the best I've ever heard. Have you ever thought about becoming a songstress or an opera actress? Our family has great influence in the 'Opera School.' You're also Aurora's friend. If you take this path, you will surely achieve brilliant success."

"Thank you, but I still prefer the path of knowledge," Sylutia politely declined.

"That's truly a pity." Brandon shook his head with great regret, but he still didn't give up. He continued chatting with Sylutia about her studies, wanting to know the true level of this young lady.

"I wonder if you could demonstrate that thread spell ability that made the police officers suspicious."

"That's no problem." Sylutia thought for a moment, then raised her finger. Several pale purple threads gathered and materialized, then wove together into a beautiful Bird that flew and circled inside the theater. The threads trailing from its tail lightly passed over a discarded wooden board, slicing it open, demonstrating its utility.

After watching, Brandon directly applauded and praised loudly.

"Even if you remove the trailing threads, it's still a very beautiful and practical spell. I even want a few young actors to learn this spell and display it during performances to create an atmosphere on stage."

"Is this a secret art from a certain school, or did Hedra create it herself? I wonder if it can be taught?"

"I created it myself, but I used bird-related rune secret arts from within the 'Bionics School,'" Sylutia answered.

"The Bionics School? No wonder it's so realistic and beautiful. That makes it a bit difficult. Their school's biological-type rune spells are not easy to learn." After getting a detailed understanding, Brandon temporarily gave up on the idea of having someone learn it.

"Although having someone learn it won't work, Hedra lives in the Asra District. If you're short on money, you can come to the theater to help. We'll provide you with good compensation here."

"Thank you, Mr. Brandon." Sylutia thanked him again. Considering how enthusiastically he had helped her solve the problem, it would be a bit too much for her to give nothing in return. So she agreed to come and help a few times later, using the fluttering bird to enhance the atmosphere of the opera performances.

"Oh, that's our good fortune." After saying this, he found a theater staff member, took out a special invitation letter, wrote Sylutia's name on it, then took out his own seals to stamp it, adding a line of explanation before handing it to the young lady.

"With this, you can come directly to the theater's backstage in the future. If you're free on weekends, you can also use this to watch operas directly without paying."

After thanking him, the matter came to an end. Sylutia returned to school and continued her studies and life.

A week later, the initially revised opera had its first rehearsal performance. This time, Aurora took Sylutia and Lovier to watch, and the three of them offered some suggestions for improvement.

"The murderer still hasn't been found yet?" Lovier asked curiously.

"No, but the frequency of his crimes has dropped significantly. Previously it was one every 3-4 days, now it might be one every 6-8 days."

"That's interesting. Being so calm, the more you look at it, the less it seems like killing out of hatred and impulse, and more like it's for some purpose," Aurora analyzed calmly.

"Is there a possibility that he is creating some kind of legend?" Sylutia suddenly thought.

This was a world with supernatural powers. If someone became the protagonist of a legendary story, even if they were truly powerless before, with the support of the legend, they would gain the power possessed by the image in the story.

"The Asra District is a densely populated area. If some kind of legend forms here, with such high density and a large number of people spreading it, it's easy for a certain legend to take root. Even if the story is false, as long as he is the protagonist of that story, he will gain the Aspect condensation and empowerment brought about by the story's spread."

"That makes sense," Aurora also nodded slowly.

"We have to change it a bit, otherwise, the script meant to find the culprit might actually accelerate the progress of his ritual."

"But in that case, what the script tells will instead become the first impression for a large number of passersby. If the script's ending is that he encounters an unavoidable predicament and dies, that could also poison the legend he's trying to create and disrupt his plan."

"Faced with the rapidly spreading opera performance, the truth he tried to create would be overshadowed. Thus, the powerful image he initially wanted to construct could be rewritten as someone inherently weak, merely relying on various conditions and assistance to achieve his goals—a pitiful person."

"The 'Opera School' is a school with a composite Aspect of 'Secret Word' and 'Gold Steam.' They discover stories, adapt stories, spread stories, and then use the stories to strengthen themselves and achieve their purposes."