Chapter 956 St. Laurentia Opera House
“Miss Leo Man, stop teasing Parul. She’s thin-skinned and can’t handle jokes,” Older Brother Jayad said, defending me. However, faced with the pumpkin soup Miss Leo Man was scooping towards him with a spoon, he still opened his mouth and took the spoon in without refusal.
“Hehe, I’m just teaching her how to express her feelings. It feels bad to just watch this little girl stare blankly from the side,” Miss Leo Man chuckled. She did have a gentle smile, like a Saintess.
“You don’t need to butt in. I have no feelings that need expressing!” I bit down on the beef bone in my mouth, crushing it.
To the other guests, this table seemed like a peculiar scene: a youth having lunch with another girl, the youth feeding the cute little girl, and the voluptuous, seductive beauty feeding the youth.
This strange love triangle made all the men present so jealous they were almost contorting, realizing they were the clowns and wishing they could swap places with the youth.
Although I was a little unhappy earlier, I’m not an emotional person. After wolfing down all the dishes I ordered, my mood had returned to normal.
“Next, are we going to watch the play you mentioned?” Miss Leo Man asked.
“Yes, I’ve never watched a play before. I’ve only heard that rich people go to enjoy these plays. Parul is also going for the first time,” Jayad said.
The rich people were the key. Older Brother Jayad must have considered whether to sneak into the theater to steal money. However, if he hadn’t acted on it, it was probably because the tickets were too expensive, he was unfamiliar with the interior, and his clothes were too ragged to blend in.
“Hehe, I rarely go either. After all, we don’t encourage indulgence. However, sometimes, to maintain good relationships with officials and nobles, inviting them to the theater is a good place to deepen those connections,” Miss Leo Man said with a smile.
Actually, I had been to a theater in my previous life. Although it was just because the school arranged for students to go together to cultivate their sentiments, it was actually to show support and fill the seats. Still, it was quite novel the first time I watched.
In this era, there were no movies or radios yet. Plays should be one of the highest forms of entertainment people could access. This era was also the peak of theatrical development, producing countless masterpieces.
We arrived at the location indicated on the ticket: St. Laurentia Opera House, a large opera house located in the central district. Land here was extremely valuable, yet St. Laurentia Opera House still occupied a significant plot of land.
I could see the towering spires of the opera house from afar. Its exterior resembled a church or a palace, with a row of tall, relief-carved stone pillars supporting the roof outside the walls.
The opera house seemed even more magnificent up close. A long queue had already formed at the entrance. The people lining up were all dressed impeccably. The men mostly wore suits or formal wear, and the ladies wore beautiful, elegant dresses. The multi-layered long skirts were both warm and aesthetically pleasing.
Most of them arrived by carriage, and many brought their families, with sons and daughters dressed up, led by their parents in line, excitedly anticipating the play they were about to see.
It was a holiday, specifically Halloween, a day for fun and merriment. Naturally, the wealthy were willing to bring their families to watch a play and relax.
I patted my shoulder bag. Inside was a stone tablet. For any potential Yellow King believers, I had brought a piece of Carcosa, the one the Great Fly had given me. As a token, the Yellow Seal was with Older Brother Jayad.
We also joined the queue, and soon it was our turn for ticket inspection. The inspector was a person wearing a red Ceremonial uniform with a golden sash and a tall, top hat, looking like a toy soldier.
He took the tickets we handed over and said, “Row thirteen, seats seven, eight, and nine. Please, Sir and two young ladies, proceed. Enjoy the play.”
We passed through the main entrance, brushed past the security guards, and entered the magnificent theater. Miss Leo Man said, “Everything is normal so far. I haven’t found anything unusual.”
When I had left earlier, she and Jayad had already grasped the general reason and purpose of attending the play. They knew we were here to find a potential secret society, so Miss Leo Man shed her joking demeanor and became extremely alert, observing the surroundings.
“My Evil Perception also hasn’t detected any Evil creatures inside the theater,” Jayad stated.
“Mine neither. At least, I haven’t found any suspicious individuals yet,” I added. This was related to my own Mission, so naturally, I had to take it seriously.
I scanned the theater with God’s Eye, focusing mainly on the backstage and dressing rooms. To be honest, I haven’t seen anyone overtly suspicious.
But when one is performing a play, everyone puts on makeup and costumes, wearing all sorts of bizarre outfits. In a sense, even if suspicious individuals were present, I wouldn’t be able to tell them apart immediately.
My mood was rather complex. On one hand, I was here precisely to find these Yellow King believers. Only by finding them could I complete the Great Fly’s Divine Revelation and avoid its constant scrutiny.
On the other hand, I knew very little about these mysterious Yellow King believers. Even deliberately seeking out information yielded little. I only knew they might be connected to several incidents of mass hysteria, and a few small countries had openly banned the Sect within their territories.
However, detailed information was scarce, and reports were often speculative. My understanding of this Church was still limited to the intelligence provided by the Church of Gluttony, and its reliability and accuracy could not be guaranteed.
So, on one hand, I hoped to find the Yellow King believers soon and get rid of these troublesome items. On the other hand, I was completely unsure of their modus operandi; it sounded quite dangerous.
For this reason, I did not hesitate to invite Miss Leo Man. Although I was somewhat unhappy with her attitude, she was undoubtedly a reliable teammate, providing assurance in terms of both experience and strength.
Treading on the soft cotton carpet and passing through the thick soundproof walls, we finally arrived at the main hall of the opera house. It was a semicircular hall with rows of seats fanning out in a horn shape.
The entire main hall was resplendent. The walls were covered in dark red sound-absorbing fabric, the tall pillars were all decorated with golden reliefs, and the ceiling featured a mural of a starry sky. Chandeliers illuminated the hall brightly.
On both side walls, there were three tiers of VIP boxes. From these open balconies, one could watch the play, or draw the curtains for private matters, such as negotiations or intimate activities.
Finally, there was the stage in the center, currently concealed by a red curtain, its full appearance not yet visible.
