Chapter 290

Chapter 268 The Dancer

From the very beginning, the high-difficulty and fast-paced dance ignited the audience’s emotions instantly. Applause began as soon as the dancers started moving, and with each climax of the music and dance, the applause rose in waves.

As the music progressed, this fervent dance finally reached its end, culminating in a grand finale. In this final climax, the dancer placed her hand on her face, tearing off her half-mask and hat, revealing her golden hair that suddenly burst forth. Beneath the mask was a beautiful and charming female face, identical to the one on the giant poster outside the theater.

She is Adele Briouze, the undisputed star of this performance.

When Adele appeared, the atmosphere at the venue reached its peak. Countless spectators in the stands erupted in cheers and screams at this moment. After finishing the first song, Adele smiled and bowed to the audience from all sides before slowly retreating. Then, the host slowly ascended the stage from below, waiting for the audience’s excitement to subside before starting his high-pitched introduction.

“Ladies and gentlemen, good evening! Welcome to tonight’s performance. You have already enjoyed Miss Adele’s opening act. Now…”

The host continued his announcements from the stage. Meanwhile, in section A of the stands, Dorothy was watching Adele as she retreated backstage.

“This is the dancing star Adele? What an impressive dance… This level of professionalism… It’s clear that not everyone can match up to her.”

Dorothy thought to herself. Initially, when she saw Adele’s face in the photo, she thought Adele might rely mainly on her looks to attract attention, similar to some internet celebrities. However, now she could confirm that Adele was indeed a genuine talent. The difficulty of the dance she performed was not something anyone could easily replicate. With both skill and beauty, it was no wonder she had such a big name.

“How amazing! I’ve heard Adele’s dances are great, but I didn’t expect them to be this impressive. I should have watched her perform more often earlier.”

Nephnis, who was next to Dorothy, sighed while watching Adele finish the first act. She then expressed some concern.

“However, the fast-paced dance we just saw must be quite exhausting, yet she doesn’t seem out of breath after finishing. Truly remarkable…”

“Physical stamina…”

Dorothy murmured softly, pondering something in her heart. At this moment, the host on stage had finished his introduction and moved on to the second act.

Although the performance centered around Adele, it wasn’t entirely her show. The second act featured a group dance by a troupe of girls. According to the host, these girls were regular performers at the theater and professional dancers known as the Flying Dance Troupe.

While the second act was not as breathtaking as Adele’s opening performance, it was still excellent and received enthusiastic applause from the audience. Following this was a choir performance.

Dorothy and Nephnis quietly enjoyed the splendid performances on stage. Dorothy kept a close eye on her surroundings, especially her ability to detect poison, to avoid any incidents like those during the Igewent Charity event. However, so far, she hadn’t detected any signs of poison in any of the acts.

“Everything seems normal. Maybe I was overthinking. This appears to be a regular performance, unlike the unusual circumstances of the Igewent Charity event…”

Dorothy thought to herself. Just then, the choir performance ended. As the performers retreated backstage amidst the applause, the host reappeared and addressed the audience loudly.

“Thank you to the Blue String Choir for their wonderful performance. Now, ladies and gentlemen, are you ready to see Adele’s dance again? Let’s welcome Adele and the Flying Dance Troupe back on stage with a warm round of applause as they present their new masterpiece, ‘Crimson Mother’!”

Finally, under the enthusiastic applause of the audience, Adele Briouze made another appearance. She had changed out of her first performance’s male attire and was now dressed in a vibrant red dress. Her pale figure and captivating face, complemented by the red dress, once again drew a roar of applause from the audience.

Behind Adele, a group of young men and women also entered the stage, all wearing predominantly red clothing, though none as vivid as Adele’s. These were the members of the Flying Dance Troupe performing in the second act. They were about to join Adele in a joint performance.

Once all performers were in place, the music began. Unlike the fast-paced and cheerful tune of Adele’s first appearance, this piece was slow and melancholic. Amidst the sorrowful melody, Adele began to dance once more, with the rest of the Flying Dance Troupe accompanying her.

This time, Adele’s dance was as gentle and soothing as the music, graceful and elegant, lacking the powerful energy of her first performance but exuding a more feminine charm. The other dancers moved around Adele, sometimes near, sometimes far, sometimes quickly, sometimes slowly, completing this large-scale dance together.

Adele’s dance was titled “Crimson Mother,” a performance infused with dramatic elements. The dance seemed to tell a story, a tale of a mother and child. Adele, always positioned at the center of the stage, resembled the mother, while the other dancers surrounding her acted as the children.

Initially, Dorothy suspected this might be some secret dance transmission and became cautious. However, after watching carefully, she found no trace of poison. This relieved her.

“It seems there’s nothing wrong with this performance… Maybe I’m being overly sensitive. I should just enjoy it…”

Just as Dorothy was thinking this, her gaze sharpened and she noticed something odd on stage. Her brow furrowed slightly.

“This feels… strange?”

She thought to herself. At this moment, her eyes were fixed on a female dancer in a short red skirt with her hair standing upright. This dancer, positioned behind Adele, was part of the accompaniment. Unlike the other dancers, her movements seemed stiff, and her expression was wooden. Dorothy, sitting close to the stage, could clearly see these details.

“That dancer… is strange… and strangely familiar… The wooden expression, the unnatural stiffness… Very familiar… Strange… Have I seen this situation somewhere before?”

As she watched the scene, Dorothy began to think. With the Scholar’s information processing ability, she quickly identified the source of the familiarity.

“I used the puppet ring to control a puppet without the ‘Enlightenment.’ It seems like this situation… When I conducted my puppet control experiments, those puppets exhibited similar behavior…”

Realizing this, she extended her spiritual thread to investigate. Upon checking, she confirmed that the dancer was indeed dead. The person dancing beside Adele was a corpse.

“That dancer… is a puppet!?”

Dorothy realized in shock. At that moment, she noticed that the dancer she had been observing deviated from her original dance path, approaching Adele from behind while dancing. Using her dance moves, she pulled out a small kn*fe from beneath her skirt. The kn*fe was made of white stone and engraved with intricate ancient symbols.

With the kn*fe in hand and her eyes lifeless, the puppet dancer moved towards Adele’s back.