Chapter 14: Our Shining Stars
At the Rising Sun Theater.
The atmosphere here was still dim and eerie, giving everyone an uncomfortable feeling.
All the theater group members were present, and even the group leader who had collapsed on stage had recovered, looking gently at Night Star.
Night Star glanced at the seemingly normal theater members and cautiously asked, “So, um, do you remember anything?”
The group leader nodded. “Yes, thanks to you, Audience Performer.”
The Fraudster let out a soft sigh.
“I can’t believe I turned into that! Forgetting the original intention of our performance… how ridiculous.”
The Gentleman tipped his hat down a bit.
“What a disgrace! I was so rude to the Audience Performer and so many spectators. As a gentleman, I’ve lost the right to maintain decorum.”
The Puppet Master looked quite wronged, appearing very sheepish.
Although she had thought about turning Night Star into her puppet, it wasn’t that strong of a desire. To have said it out loud so boldly… utterly shameful!
Fortunately, her goal was not achieved; if she did turn Night Star into a puppet, she would regret it once she came back to her senses.
What she truly wanted was the audience’s Night Star, not a puppet version.
Luckily, Little Lian had helped Night Star stop everything.
Though it was Night Star’s first time using Little Lian’s powers, she seemed incredibly skilled at it.
It was odd that the highest priority for using the Star Eclipses in Doll City was Night Star, when Lianhua was supposed to be the owner.
Well, that indicates Little Lian likes Night Star more.
And she is, after all, Lianhua’s puppet.
But regardless, Lianhua was pleased, happy that Night Star was able to awaken her. As long as it wasn’t pursued later, it would save her from the ultimate embarrassment.
The group leader exhaled softly and said to Night Star, “Audience Performer, I’m sorry for breaking my promise and letting your hard work go to waste.”
“Ah, it’s nothing! As long as you’re back to normal, I’m fine with sneaking around to perform again. When the Night Watchers come, we just slip away and drive them crazy! When they get fed up and stop caring, we’ll be free to perform as we want!”
Of course, this was nothing more than Night Star’s nonsensical attempt to comfort the theater.
If the Night Watchers could actually do what Night Star said, there had to be someone pulling the strings behind the scenes.
The group leader shook his head and continued, “As the star of this Grand Performance, you’ve made a tremendous contribution to the theater. What you’ve done surpasses even my role as group leader. Therefore, I believe you are qualified to lead the theater towards a brighter future. You, as a performer, are no less capable than any theater member.”
“Eh? Are you saying…?”
“How about you become the group leader?”
“No, no, no! Being the group leader is too much! I just want to watch performances, be a quiet audience member. I’m not even qualified to be a performer!”
At that moment, the Gentleman smiled slightly. “No, you are. There’s no need to be modest, Audience Performer. The opera you starred in is the most spectacular performance in the history of our theater. Your acting skills were excellent—your singing, your movements, even the emotions behind your lines reached the level of a true actor.”
The Fraudster nodded in agreement. “The Gentleman is right; your starring role in the Grand Performance was the most impressive performance ever. Even among us theater members, we all highly admired it.”
“Um, without your coordination, I would have messed it up long ago…” Night Star mumbled.
Before the opera performance began, the Announcer told her she had to ‘k*ll’ the group leader and others once, treating it as part of the opera performance.
And the role she needed to portray was that of a heartless executioner.
But given her timid personality, there was no way she could pull off that role.
However, the Announcer told her she could self-hypnotize, convincing herself that she was indeed the executioner.
Night Star gave it a try and, surprisingly, managed to pull it off!
It seemed the Wish Machine had granted her this small wish.
The ensuing fight was also quite simple.
During her time learning to create scripts, Night Star had watched many opera performances. To learn better, she even studied various lyrics, dance steps, lines, and movements. All those elements were etched in her memory.
Everything she accomplished on stage was derived from these experiences.
She seemed to have a real talent for this.
The long kn*fe was swung simply; her strength and speed more than compensated for other shortcomings, making it easier to showcase the beauty of the scene.
And perhaps most importantly, the cooperation of the group leader and the others.
On stage, they were all working together in the performance.
They understood this was a Grand Performance, so they didn’t fight for real. They were meant to portray theater members who had forgotten their original intentions and become obsessed, needing to be executed by the executioner.
The Grand Performance transformed into a stage opera starring the Audience Performer.
Thus, they had to display the emotions and behaviors expected of their roles, embodying the characters they had been assigned!
Even if their obsessions had become twisted, their instincts for cooperative performance remained unchanged.
Because this was a performance.
And they were actors.
Ultimately, the reason Night Star could easily take down all the theater members was simply the script’s arrangement.
This script was a tacit understanding among the theater members, somewhat like an improv performance.
The success of the Grand Performance was not only thanks to Night Star but also due to the efforts of the other opera actors and the behind-the-scenes maneuvers of the Announcer.
All these factors combined to create a truly stunning show.
At least, that’s how Night Star saw it.
“Anyway, I really don’t want to become the group leader! The group leader can handle that! Just let me continue being your audience, and that’ll be enough.”
Hearing this, the group leader’s lips curled into a gentle smile.
“Since that’s the case, let’s keep things as they are, our shining star.”
…
At the Night Watcher Base.
Xi Xia found Xiao Jin, who seemed to have been waiting for a long time, and calmly said, “Leader Xiao Jin, I have something to tell you.”
“Go ahead.”
“I come to confess.”
Xiao Jin shot her a glance, his tone growing serious. “So, you really orchestrated the Rising Sun Theater’s chaos all by yourself?”
When the Audience Performer had resolved the other theater members and only the Singer was left, Xiao Jin saw a gray feather appear in her hand. Even from a distance, he could sense that it was the power of Stars.
His memory was astonishingly sharp; he clearly recalled the basic abilities of the Sunlight-level Night Watchers who had come to Yun Chang City for support.
As a special Night Watcher, Xi Xia also possessed Sunlight-level capabilities, so she had caught his eye as well.
With a little comparison, he could put the pieces together.
The Blessing of Wings—sometimes, this star’s danger could be even scarier than the combat stars.
Xi Xia nodded in acknowledgment.
“Indeed.”
“Why would you do this?” Xiao Jin frowned.
“For profit, to obtain a large reward.”
“That’s your justification?”
“Uh-huh.”
“Xi Xia, you have failed your duties.”
“Sorry.” Xi Xia did not argue.
“This situation is very serious. What awaits you is a trial from headquarters, so prepare for the worst.”
“Yes, I will accept everything.”
