Book 3, Chapter 257: Multiple Endings

Chen Chuan stared at the armor. Based on his experience, he was sure that this was an anomaly.

It showed up on stage, right in front of everyone’s eyes. Did the production team do this on purpose, or was there some kind of special meaning behind this? Could this anomaly have appeared unexpectedly, out of the blue?

Chen Chuan had no way of figuring it out.

There were plenty of bizarre things about the show, and there were a lot of martial artists taking part in it. He couldn’t tell whether this was a special effect of the show or a problem.

Based on what he could see, the anomaly had yet to affect anyone, but an anomaly was still an anomaly.

Chen Chuan decided to watch it and act according to the situation.

Since the shepherdess was mute, she couldn’t say anything. The knight was the only one talking in a theatrical tone on stage.

The knight’s voice was bright and loud. Even though the spectators couldn’t see his face, they could sense that he was a passionate person with unyielding beliefs and courage.

Yet in truth, the knight was just an empty suit of armor, and once Chen Chuan used his second self to absorb all domain signals, he couldn’t hear his voice either.

This meant that no one was dubbing the knight’s lines from backstage. The anomaly was talking.

The production team might not know about this. At the very least, the actors didn’t.

Chen Chuan turned on his Realm Pass and checked the information about the actors provided on the theater's platform.

There was every character’s background information and their actors’ introduction. The main actors were, of course, listed at the very top.

The actress playing the shepherdess was a twenty-five-year-old Third Limit martial artist from Norland. Her real name was Astrid, but she went by Qiu Hudie in the Great Shun Republic. On stage, however, she looked like she was only nineteen.

The fallen knight was Tristan, who went by Nan Wang in the Great Shun Republic. This meant that a real actor was supposed to play the knight. Where had Tristan disappeared to, then?

Chen Chuan checked the actor’s full portrait and found that he shared the same build as the suit of armor.

His gaze deepened.

Then, Chen Chuan searched for information about the production. In order to ensure authenticity, the production team used props, clothes, and even weapons from Norland.

The show went on. Setting aside the anomaly, the actors’ performances were on point. The anomaly showed no signs that it was an anomaly either. It managed to bring out the stubbornness of the fallen knight perfectly. When the people mocked him, he never bowed his head in defeat.

The spectators felt like this was the knight from the past. He had come alive before their eyes.

The shepherdess’ performance was also good. Even though she had no lines, her body language and the emotions displayed in her light-green eyes touched their hearts.

Before anyone noticed it, six acts went by, and the lights came back for a short interlude.

The main actors had all shown up on stage. A major twist was going to happen next, which was the most exciting part of the show. During the interlude, the spectators discussed the plot and the actors.

Pan Xiaode and Tan Zhi were no exception, but what they were looking forward to was the fight rather than the twist.

Chen Chuan didn’t join the discussion. Instead, he grabbed the Frost King Saber and left the private booth with the intention of meeting Chen Bitong.

The moment he stepped into the corridor, though, someone walked over from the opposite direction and greeted him. “What a coincidence, Captain Chen. We meet again.”

Chen Chuan recognized Gu Haiting, the Azure Dragon employee he met at the training center. “Hello, Mr. Gu.”

“Where are you going?”

“I saw Instructor Chen just now and was thinking about greeting him,” Chen Chuan answered.

“This is even more of a coincidence then. I was just thinking about greeting Instructor Chen myself. Why don’t we go together?” Gu Haiting invited him with a smile.

“Sure,” Chen Chuan agreed.

He had a feeling that Gu Haiting had been waiting for him, but no matter what his goal was, having someone else with him would make Chen Chuan’s visit more natural.

“What do you think of the show, Captain Chen?” Gu Haiting asked while they were walking.

“It’s exciting, alright,” Chen Chuan replied honestly.

Setting aside the anomaly, the costumes, props, and songs were all incredibly artistic. Even someone like him who seldom watched theater productions could enjoy it.

“I heard that there’s a unique martial art contained in the song, and I was wondering whether it’s true. Did you manage to figure something out?” Gu Haiting asked.

“No. I think it’s because I couldn’t understand the language,” Chen Chuan stated.

“That’s true. I think the ancient Norlandic hero isn’t used to the Great Shun Republic’s environment,” Gu Haiting joked.

“You need to pay a price for power that comes seemingly out of the blue. We have our own legacies, so we don’t need to set aside time to learn someone else’s,” Chen Chuan pointed out.

Gu Haiting nodded in agreement. “Did you know that the largest sponsor and promoter of the show is Norland’s Bolun Corporation. Foreign corporations always bring their stuff into our land when they build their companies here. Some of them are good, but some are bad.”

“It’s unavoidable.” Chen Chuan shrugged.

“That’s right, but if they step out of line, we need to think of ways to put them back in their place. We do that to plants too, don’t we? If we don’t prune them, their branches extend all the way to the road,” Gu Haiting said meaningfully before casting his eyes ahead. “Oh, here we are, and what a crowd!”

There was a large number of people in front of the private booth. After all, Chen Bitong was sitting together with Mr. Quan and his wife. Aside from people like Chen Chuan and Gu Haiting, most of them had come to greet Mr. Quan after being unable to do it earlier.

The moment Chen Chuan and Gu Haiting stepped into the area, though, Chen Bitong would have been able to sense them. If they couldn’t see him during the break, it would mean that he didn’t want to see them.

A side door opened, and the usher motioned for them to go in.

“Instructor Chen is asking us to go in. Come on,” Gu Haiting said. Chen Chuan nodded and walked in as well.

The private booth was huge and had two cubicles. Chen Bitong was in one of them.

Upon entering, Chen Chuan observed the place. Chen Bitong was sitting ramrod straight on a wide sofa. His well-defined features made him look incredibly tough under the light. His eyes, too, appeared deep and lively.

He had set his hat on the table in front of him, and his overcoat was on the hanger by the side. At present, he only wore a gray dress shirt and carried no weapons.

“Come, sit.”

Chen Bitong appeared relaxed, like he was just a teacher meeting his students. Once Chen Chuan and Gu Haiting sat down, he asked casually, “What do you think of the show?”

“Even though I haven’t seen what I wanted, it’s still interesting and an enjoyable experience, both to the eyes and ears,” Gu Haiting answered with a smile.

“I’ve never seen it before, but I feel like I can agree with it,” Chen Chuan trailed off for a bit before turning to Chen Bitong. “I think there’s something hidden in it.”

Chen Bitong didn’t comment, as if he didn’t notice anything abnormal. He said, “If you find it nice, continue watching it. Perhaps you can learn something from it.”

They chatted for a few more minutes before they heard a message from their Realm Passes telling them that the second half of the show was going to start in five minutes.

Gu Haiting and Chen Chuan stood up. “We won’t be bothering you anymore, Instructor Chen.”

Chen Bitong stood up as well and turned to Chen Chuan. “A moment, Captain Chen.”

Gu Haiting understood that Chen Bitong had something to say to Chen Chuan, so he smiled and said goodbye to them before leaving the booth.

In a gentle tone, Chen Bitong said, “I’m here alone, Captain Chen. Would you like to watch the second half with me?”

A flicker of emotion stirred in Chen Chuan’s heart. He nodded and told Tan Zhi’s group about it before sitting down again.

Chen Bitong asked the usher to pour Chen Chuan a warm drink before saying, “Thank you for teaching Xiaojin.”

“I’m just glad that you didn’t think I was being nosy.” Chen Chuan waved it off.

“He’s not talented, so I don’t have time to teach him and decided to not even begin. Then, he won’t be disappointed in the future.” Chen Bitong shook his head.

“But I think that Xiaojin is talented,” Chen Chuan countered.

Chen Bitong didn’t say anything to that.

The lights dimmed over the audience and lit up the stage.

Chen Bitong turned his attention to the stage and said, “Let’s watch the show.”

After the interlude came the second half of the show. The noblewoman had to go to the capital with the knowledge she gained from the epic, pass the test of the court swordsmasters, and be made a high-ranking noble.

At this point, she should produce the epic to show that the fallen knight was right, but would change her mind and hire assassins to kill the knight instead. The shepherdess would defeat them, take the knight’s armor, spear, and sword, and go to court. The two actors would then get into what could only be called a fight of the century.

Since they were both martial artists, they could fight at their full strength, and the show could have multiple endings.

If the shepherdess lost, the show would get a bad ending. This would go against the theme of the show, but the spectators could understand it. If the shepherdess won, it would lead to the true ending.

It was precisely because the ending was up in the air that the show stirred up the spectators’ expectations, and tension hung heavily in the air.

Chen Chuan watched the stage. As the acts went by, the time came for the shepherdess to receive the armor from the knight.

The Realm Pass showed Chen Chuan a scene of the knight passionately singing for the shepherdess to remove his armor and teaching her how to put it on, but after he absorbed all domain signals, he saw something else.

The armor was taking itself apart as if being removed from the body, but there was nothing beneath it. The shepherdess then put on the armor and lifted the spear up high.

The shepherdess did not say a single thing, but her determination and unwavering resolve affected most of the spectators. As the music turned passionate, expectation burned in the spectators’ eyes. They looked forward to the violent clash.