With a beauty by his side, Fulen could only focus his gaze on the stage below, where every seat was filled, and people were discussing in hushed tones. The theater Fulen was in did not offer standing tickets, so Fulen had no way of knowing what standing tickets in a theater were like.
Soon, the sound of a bell tolling echoed from the stage, and the curtain officially rose. Fulen no longer looked at the beautiful woman beside him.
Behind the curtain was a scene of an auction, appearing quite ordinary. However, as the curtain fully opened, the previously still people gradually began to move.
The theme of this auction was to sell items related to theater. The 666th auction item was a chandelier, shattered into pieces during a famous Phantom incident. This was the restored chandelier. The auctioneer lit the restored chandelier, and the lighting became very dim.
The surrounding bands began playing the accompaniment to the musical's theme song. The lights became even more eerie, and strange glows started to illuminate the surroundings. Fulen had only watched related theatrical resources online before, but experiencing this play live was a completely different feeling.
This was normal; watching a movie on a phone is completely different from watching it in a cinema, and watching a play on a disc is vastly different from experiencing it live.
Fulen couldn't describe in words the flickering lights, the loud accompaniment, the strangely illuminated Gothic set, and the still audience. He could only use 'Shock' (shocking/awe-inspiring) to superficially depict his feelings.
Musicals were a new form of theater that had only emerged in recent years, and "The Phantom" was a leader among them. Although Fulen had seen several plays before and couldn't make a definitive judgment, from Fulen's humble perspective as a Spectator, "The Phantom" music and performance were more impressive.
What especially impressed Fulen was that the male and female leads looked ordinary, seemingly the type to cry for a long time after a single punch. However, their bel canto skills left Fulen, who had now learned better breathing techniques, in awe. Fulen compared the bel canto he was hearing now and couldn't help but exclaim that this was true bel canto, a sound that could make people feel beauty. At least in this play, they achieved it.
After about half an hour, the moment Fulen considered the peak of this musical arrived. The Phantom led the female lead through various paths, and "The Phantom Of The Opera" was sung by the two of them. Most of the Spectators maintained their etiquette, but a few gasped due to the music's powerful impact.
The Phantom's obsession, possessiveness, and love for the female lead were fully displayed in the music. Under the lighting and the heart-stirring music, everyone felt as if they were truly there. Fulen no longer leaned back in his chair but slowly pulled his back away from the chair, staring intently at the performance below.
Time flew by. In a flash, Fulen saw all the actors standing on stage, holding hands, and beginning to sing the theme song together for the musical's final performance. The Spectators all knew that the play was ending. The scene was like a concert, with some drama-loving Spectators also singing along. Fulen also hummed a few soft notes.
At this most enthusiastic moment, when the end was most apparent, the actors all bowed in unison, and the stage curtain slowly fell.
"Are you Fulen Freeman?" An inorganic voice came from beside Fulen.
Fulen felt like a Puppet, turning his head somewhat uncomfortably to look at the young woman beside him. At this moment, the young woman was as exquisite as a large Barbie doll, and the sadness that had caught Fulen's attention in her eyes was gone, replaced by calm scrutiny.
"Who is she? Is she a Demoness? No, if she found out I was Abraham's, she wouldn't call me by my surface surname. So who is she? How does she know me? A Hunter? A mercenary? A Beyonder? How did she find out about me?" Fulen's mind fell into chaos.
Seeing Fulen visibly confused, the young woman chuckled. It was hard to say if 'cold' was the right word to describe it, but perhaps a colder, colorless emotion would better describe this young woman: "My name is Sohier Huffman, the owner of Sohier Circus."
"Owner? Isn't that a middle-aged woman in her forties or fifties?" Upon hearing this young woman, no, now it should be a middle-aged woman, introduce herself, Fulen blurted out this sentence.
According to Fulen's conversation with Darlene, Sohier Circus was founded almost twenty years ago, and Mr. Laze was one of the Circus' veterans. Okot and Sohier founded the Circus together; their relationship was unknown, but they were not Lovers. Afterward, Okot became the manager of the Circus, and Sohier was the owner of the Circus, or rather, the Ringmaster.
As for why Fulen knew the two founders were not Lovers, the main reason was that Darlene, the Circus's receptionist, was indeed the most well-informed person about Circus gossip. She even knew the intimacy of the founders' relationship.
However, Fulen could be sure that Darlene was not yet aware of Okot's interest in him. Otherwise, based on Fulen's many years of experience, people who know the most gossip are generally not very sensitive to the emotions of those around them.
And according to Darlene, Sohier was already around twenty years old back then. So many years had passed, and it was easy to calculate that Sohier would be in her forties now.
Furthermore, Darlene also said that Sohier looked like a young woman, not showing her age at all, and standing with her, they looked like a pair of sisters, with Darlene even being the older one.
Thinking of this, Fulen gasped, immediately bowing deeply: "My apologies, Ringmaster, I was foolish just now. Please pretend you didn't hear it."
When Fulen looked up, he still saw no change in the expression of the person in front of him. The person standing there seemed like an inorganic Puppet, showing no joy or anger at all.
Sohier nodded: "It's alright, just be careful next time. According to Mr. Laze, your magic talent is quite high. I look forward to you bringing better magic performances to the Circus. Now, I shall take my leave."
Fulen thought about it and decided not to follow to get closer. After all, he had just said the most unpleasant thing to a woman, and he couldn't discern the other party's emotions. If he made the relationship even more strained, it would be detrimental to his digestion of the potion. So, he just waved goodbye.
"Oh, and by the way, don't listen to Darlene's gossip too much." As she left, Sohier said this and then departed.