Chapter 1290: Chapter 17: The Singer
“Attention,please!Attention,please!Due to a disruption in the tracks, the Europa Star will be temporarily halted. Passengers with tickets please proceed to…”
“Attention,please…”
Suddenly, they descended into chaos—a motion erupted in the waiting hall of the train station.
How could this happen?
The orc girl looked in astonishment at the updated translations on her phone’s translation software regarding station information—she was preparing to board the Europa Star in an ‘extra’ manner and couldn’t help but frown.
“Sister, what’s going on?”
The orc girl didn’t speak, she simply put a hood on Oga, then quickly led him to a deserted area, explaining the situation as they walked.
“Disruption?” Oga was quite shocked upon hearing the reason—he could barely understand English, but he could see the time on the electronic clock everywhere, “Then we…”
“Let me see if there’s another route, don’t worry, there will be a way.” The orc girl gently forted, “At worst, we wait for the maintenance, this route won’t remain closed forever, maybe it’ll be fixed by tomorrow.”
Though she said this, facing the people hunting them down, in this foreign land, even one extra day felt incredibly dangerous to her… Another route? Besides this underwater tunnel spanning the ocean, where else was there to go?
By ship… she never wanted to board a ship again.
Not only because of the shadows lingering from being captured by orc traffickers and kept in cabins, but also the instinctive fear of the ocean—she was an orc afraid of water who couldn’t swim.
As for planes… it was clearly less convenient to stowaway on a plane than a train.
“Let’s leave here now…”
Thinking this, the orc girl pulled Oga along and left the train station amidst the confusion of passengers.
…
…
Her Majesty’s Theatre, during Her Majesty the Queen’s presence.
“…Alright, I understand.” Hanging up the phone, Lancelot approached Her Majesty the Queen, noting her somewhat distracted demeanor, “Mr. Pukins called, the Knight Agency in various places has successfully captured all the ‘Doomsday Myth’ members listed on the attack roster obtained from Red. Because of advance deployment, only one was severely injured, and four were lightly injured in the operation.”
“Oh… that’s good.” Although absent-minded, Her Majesty the Queen had clearly received this news, secretly sighing in relief, smiling slightly, “Thank you all, once again, you have saved our country.”
For Her Majesty the Queen, though the current political system no longer granted her the power a monarch should wield, she evidently did not wish to bee a monarch whose lands were divided under threat, leaving a blemished legacy.
“I should mend the person who successfully captured Red, Lancelot, don’t you think?” Her Majesty seemed in better spirits, her smile widening.
“Perhaps discussing this with Mr. Pukins would be more appropriate,” Lancelot gently advised, “Although we have apprehended nearly all members active within our nation, according to intelligence, the leader of this organization and several other key figures have not surfaced, so perhaps this matter isn’t over yet.”
Her Majesty seemed momentarily nostalgic, slowly bing her pet’s fur, she softly remarked, “In my life, I have encountered many so-called revolutionaries and underground organizations… they all share a mon trait, do you know what that is?”
She glanced at Lancelot, whose expression remained unchanged, softly chuckled, “That is, they all value their panions dearly. If Mr. Pukins and other leaders of the Knight Agency are astute, perhaps they should consider publicly executing these captured rebels…”
Lancelot parted her lips slightly… she had been closely protecting the Queen only for around two years.
Most of the time, the Queen showed a friendly image… the image needed by her nationals.
Even so, upon such prolonged contact, she mostly appeared calm and detached, akin to a noblewoman left unperturbed by worldly matters.
But, having experienced the fires of war and being the world’s longest-reigning queen in current office…
“Ah, finally, the performance has started.” Her Majesty the Queen joyfully raised her opera glasses, “It’s been a long wait.”
Evidently uninterested in continuing the previous topic, her attention shifted pleasantly towards the rising stage curtain.
Lancelot, following Her Majesty’s gaze, looked down at the stage, instinctively glancing around, yet failed to spot the two mysterious figures.
Behind Her Majesty the Queen, Lancelot retrieved a metallic rose, pondering.
All around was quiet, on the stage, under dim light, acpanied by the rising curtain, a solemn prologue voice softly arose:
“Princes Turandot of the Fragrant Kingdom, radiant as peach blossoms, cold as frost. Nobles and princes seek the Phoenix, intoxicated by her beauty, crazed with love. A lone woman with iron heart poses three riddles to test the consort prince, a gleaming blade flashes with cold light…”
…
Unlike the storytelling resonating stage with its brass, voices, and symphony orchestra, the back of the stage appeared far more disorderly.
Whether the actors preparing to go onstage, those just offstage swiftly changing costumes, or staff managing props and stage directions… Everyone was wrapped in a mixture of urgency and tension.
As the plot progressed, increasingly more aspects required meticulous attention.
“Caesar! Caesar? Can anyone tell me where Caesar is? He’s about to go onstage! Can anyone assure me there’s no missing male lead?”
The troupe manager appeared anxious as an ant on a hot pan—it’s not just the regular concern; losing an actor right before performance would make him erupt, especially when it’s the most important male lead role? Moreover, today, Britain’s Queen herself was present… Should chaos ensue, he’d be finished as manager.
“Haven’t seen him? Hurry and get him back!” The furious troupe manager ordered, “Three minutes! I’m only giving three minutes; if he’s not found, tell him not to bother ing back! Pasteur, prepare yourself; if Caesar doesn’t show up in three minutes, you’ll replace him! Tonight, you’re the male lead!”
Such emergency substitution in the most crucial role of the play might only be marginally better than outright messing up the performance… The manager of the troupe furiously kicked a clothing rack holding prop costumes, “Go find him now!”
…
Failure.
Failure.
Total defeat.
Failure…
On the phone screen was a cascade of messages… all from the same contact: Dobas.
The man remained silent—he was wearing a costume from ancient Hua Country, with strong western elements.
Caesar… the actor playing Calaf in the Turandot Troupe.
Besides him, there was an elder in similar costume—the actor playing Prince Calaf’s father in the play.
“Caesar, Dobas’s intelligence is never wrong… This operation truly was a plete failure,” the elder remarked solemnly, “And indeed, the Knight Agency has pried open Red’s mouth! They’ve learned all about us! How did they manage to force Red to talk so quickly? That guy swore to keep secrets even till death!”
His flaxen hair… Caesar quietly donned his stage hat, even adjusting his makeup before the mirror, “Time to prepare, the show must go on.”
“Caesar! Most of our rades have been captured by the Knight Agency! They might not all remain silent… You see, even Red was forced to talk! Our whereabouts have likely been leaked… We must retreat, Caesar! We can still accumulate power, wait for the next opportunity.”
He had already tidied up his appearance and stood up, “Judas, do you… know why the Queen suddenly visited this theater today?”
“Did you… did you have a backup plan?”
Under the elder’s surprised gaze, Caesar pushed open the door and walked out.
…
Off stage, three minutes had already passed, and under the furious pressure of the troupe manager, an extra minute had forcibly been dragged out.
“There’s no other way! Pester, you go on stage! Don’t mess up the performance, or I’ll break your rear with a stick!”
The young man… the substitute, had a face like a bitter melon squeezed dry of water by salt powder—he was practically pushed onto the stage by the troupe manager.
“Wait… Caesar appeared! Oh my God, he’s on stage!”
This wasn’t the Met’s version of Turandot, so they didn’t employ “human wave” tactics… yet there were actually quite a number of actors on stage.
The lights moved to the center of the stage, and a handsome man slowly descended from the stage steps… he became the focal point of everyone’s attention.
The music began to play under the baton of the conductor – this was Prince Calaf’s first scene, telling of Prince Calaf’s unexpected reunion with his father in the King’s City.
Under the dazzling lights, His Royal Highness the Prince sang slowly, in a voice that was deep and then gradually soared high:
——Begone, night!
——Stars set, stars set!
——At dawn, I shall win!
——I shall win!
——I shall win!
The orchestra stopped, and the conductor’s baton froze in mid-air, as if it could move no further… the entire orchestra was brought to a halt.
Under the audience’s surprised gaze, there was only the solo voice of the handsome man under the stage lights.
…
“…Is this the last segment of ‘Nessun Dorma’? Is Caesar crazy!” The troupe manager seemed struck by lightning, standing frozen!
This guy didn’t stick to the script but instead sang the pieces from the final scenes!
He felt the world spinning… At this moment, he had no idea how to deal with such a sudden crisis, “Oh my God, Pester, knock me out with your stick!”
“I… don’t have a stick??”
…
“Lancelot, tell me, did I miss the earlier chapters? If I’m not senile, this should be the latter piece.”
Among the seats, Her Majesty the surprised Queen set down her spectacles somewhat bewildered—only to find that her Guardian Knight wasn’t paying close attention to this performance.
She just silently watched the metal rose in her hands, seemingly lost in thought.
…
What can one say?
Unlike the momentary confusion of many audiences, in a corner of the theater’s general seating, Boss Luo blinked his eyes, then turned his head to look at his Maid, suddenly asking: “Do you think… I’m really not suited to go out?”
The Maid had little expression, simply gazing at the stage with a slight movement in her eyes.
But at this moment, a large amount of smoke suddenly emerged from around the stage… this wasn’t special effects smoke, but a substance that would instantly render people unconscious!
The audience in the front rows, having already inadvertently inhaled the gas, fell one after another in their seats—only then did people begin to panic.
They rose in horror, pushing and screaming in terror—but not only from below the stage, even from the surrounding ventilation ducts, the paralyzing smoke emerged simultaneously.
Audiences fell one by one… and on stage, the actors had already collapsed earlier, naturally including those at the sides of the stage.
At this moment, only the actor playing Prince Calaf and the elder playing the prince’s father remained standing among the fallen.
He continued to sing loudly:
——Fate, as changeable as the moon, waxing and waning;
——Evil life weaves suffering with happiness;
——Rich and poor alike melt and vanish like snow.
——Terrible and hollow Wheel of Fortune, you spin ruthlessly, cruel and vicious, destroying all happiness and beautiful expectations, the shadows envelop in bewildering misinterpretation, you also strike me down;
——Disaster es, my bare back is ruthlessly crushed by you.
——Fate ravages my health and will, ruthlessly striking, brutally pressing, enslaving all beings.
——At this moment, do not hesitate;
——Let the strings be plucked for the bravest warrior, already crushed by fate, weep with me sorrowfully!
Pause.
…
The sound echoed through the theater, as the pervasive smoke sank, diluted, and gradually dispersed in the air… Caesar slowly exhaled.
Suddenly, a clear round of applause echoed in the eerily silent theater.
Everyone should have fainted… At the moment the applause arose, whether it was Caesar or the elder Judas beside him, both looked towards the sound in astonishment.
Among the tiered seats, amid the masses of collapsed people, they could see that two individuals remained sitting there, alert…
The applause came from one of the conscious young men… Luo Qiu’s clapping hands.
It wasn’t merely an attempt to capture the gaze of the singer on stage… Boss Luo’s applause finally ceased after a while.
“May I ask, is there more to follow?”
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