### Chapter 18: The Performance Ends Smoothly
This scene unfolded before a crowd of Night Watchers.
Wang Chao couldn’t help but chuckle.
“Xiao Jin, what’s your take on this?”
“Let’s keep an eye on it.”
“Alright, I guess this time we can consider this a gift from the leader of the Night Watchers in Yun Chang City—everybody gets to enjoy a spectacular stage show. Not too shabby, right?”
“Shh, quiet down.”
“Ah yes, yes, yes.”
The Fraudster’s performance seemed to have evaded the pollution of the Star Eclipses. Despite using the Star Eclipses Power, the citizens in the audience were blissfully unaffected, enjoying the show like it was just another day.
Everything seemed so normal that it raised suspicion with the Night Watchers.
“What on earth is going on?”
…
At the edge of the stage.
Night Star gazed with starry eyes at the successful performance of the Fraudster, unable to hold back a sigh.
“Seriously, I worried for nothing! This is definitely pulling in the audience.”
Night Star had been fretting that the old-fashioned style of performance might flop with the modern crowd, but it seemed like that worried was unfounded.
Or maybe the Fraudster and the others had managed to revive the ancient performance art in a wonderfully bizarre way. The blend of the odd Star Eclipses Power made it all seem perfectly normal.
Typically, the Rising Sun Theater Group could only hold onto the audience via the group leader—not because their performances were dreadful, but because they were tainted by the anomalies brought about by the Star Eclipses.
If it turned out that they could completely eliminate the Star Eclipses pollution from the group leader and the others, they could indeed hold grand performances!
Would the Night Watchers just turn a blind eye if they knew this?
Night Star noted that there were many Night Watchers lurking nearby.
There were even about ten Sunlight figures zeroing in on this spot, all prepped and primed for action.
The reason they hadn’t made a move yet was likely that the theater group hadn’t caused any chaos or harm.
In such a normal scenario, those Night Watchers concerned about abnormalities wouldn’t act recklessly.
Night Star mused.
This understanding was common knowledge among the Night Watchers.
She remembered it clearly!
“Well, let’s keep this going, and turn the Night Watchers into audience members of the Rising Sun Theater Group.”
Now, the Night Watchers were also watching, and that essentially counted as audience participation.
Anyone watching the performance was undoubtedly a fan of the Rising Sun Theater Group—no doubt about it!
Could this be the chance to change the “city management” officers’ impression of the Rising Sun Theater Group?
“Heh heh heh~”
Night Star couldn’t hide her delight.
The Gentleman looked on gently at everything unfolding below the stage.
“Ah~ This is the scene I’ve longed for! Everyone is quietly enjoying the show and adhering to the etiquette expected of an audience. Such polite folks are the kind of audience I wanted to see.”
The Gentleman beamed, akin to a somewhat melancholy big brother.
Today’s performance was a breeze—no rowdy individuals to disrupt things; it was a dream come true for him.
Moments later, the Fraudster’s act came to a close.
The Announcer stepped onto the stage to announce the next performance.
“Now then! Let the next revelry begin! Up next, we have a splendid magic show brought to you by the group’s leader. Don’t you dare blink; after all, you never know when a miracle might happen!”
A few Night Watchers raised their eyebrows.
The next performer was quite the heavyweight.
As they understood, the group leader’s Star Eclipses had the power to force anyone to stay in place and watch his act.
Once his performance got mixed with the Star Eclipses Power, the audience would undoubtedly lose their sense of self.
This wasn’t mere pollution; it was the true effect of the Star Eclipses. Surely, he could pull off his act on stage with that, right?
The Night Watchers needed to observe further before deciding whether to act.
On stage.
The tall group leader strolled to the center of the stage, removed his top hat, and took a slight bow to the audience below.
Under Night Star’s Existence Interference, this mature gentleman came into view for everyone.
The audience was eager to see what kind of performance he would deliver.
And as anticipation built, the group leader began.
He simply lifted the magic hat, without any unexpected maneuvers or mysterious powers at play.
He performed like any ordinary person performing magic.
No fancy stage effects, no background music to set the mood.
In this situation…
The audience stared blankly at the group leader’s performance, a bit dazed.
They hadn’t expected this so-called group leader’s act to be surprisingly “simple.”
So simple, in fact, that the audience felt they could do it too—there was nothing impressive about it.
A disappearing trick in this day and age was entirely child’s play.
Knowing well that it was all fake, they couldn’t muster any excitement for what was happening, nor would they be surprised by anything.
Even a small child could put on such a simple magic act in kindergarten, given the right props.
The thrill of solo magic was limited to this moment.
Adding on top of that, the group leader’s outdated, simple tricks swiftly turned the atmosphere in the audience cold.
Night Star’s mouth fell slightly open, feeling a pang of discomfort.
“Mmm…”
Though she wasn’t part of the act, she could feel the disappointment at the stage turning the once-vibrant audience somber.
From a performer’s perspective, does that mean she let down the audience’s expectations?
“Group Leader…”
After a while, the group leader’s magic show came to an end.
Scattered applause broke out from the audience—lacking any passion, it felt more like a courtesy clap than genuine appreciation.
To them, the group leader’s performance lacked any highlights.
It simply paled in comparison to the previous acts.
“Thank you, everyone.”
However, the group leader on stage didn’t show any signs of distress; instead, he kindly bowed to the audience, thanking them, and then returned to the edge of the stage.
The Announcer followed, smiling as she declared, “The group’s performance ends here. Thank you for your support, dear audience, and we hope to bring you more spectacular shows next time. Goodbye!”
Night Star’s Existence Interference was then withdrawn.
The presence of the Star Eclipses faded from everyone’s consciousness, dwindling to an unobservable level.
Night Star glanced at the crowd dispersing and then back at the calm-faced group leader, unable to resist tugging at his sleeve.
“Um… Group Leader, are you okay?”
The group leader turned to her, smiling gently, “I’m fine. Today’s performance went very well. The Fraudster, Puppet Master, and Singer all garnered support from the audience, which makes me very happy.”
“Mmm… but you…”
“Don’t worry about it. I didn’t meet the audience’s expectations. If they don’t want to enjoy my performance, that’s understandable. I’ll just aim for their genuine applause and cheers next time.”
“Mmm, I’ll support you!”
“Thank you, Audience Performer.”
Just as the Rising Sun Theater Group was getting ready to exit the stage, the command was finally given by Xiao Jin, lurking in the shadows.
“By my command, disperse the crowd.”
Although the Tragic Shadow Theater hadn’t caused any harm today, they couldn’t let the Night Watchers leave empty-handed. They had to do something.
Perhaps it would involve a fight or maybe… negotiations.
