Book 3, Chapter 259: End Of An Act

“What ending did you want for the play, Captain Chen?” Chen Bitong asked.

“The regicide end,” Chen Chuan answered without hesitation.

“But many don’t want to see it. They want another ending,” Chen Bitong pointed out.

“What difference is there?”

“Before watching the play, someone should have told you that the Divine Song of the Wilderness contains a martial art created by an ancient hero.

“After the song spread to all corners of the world, years were spent studying and listening to the song. Plenty of the ancient hero’s martial art had also been discovered.

“Slowly, the upper-class of various countries realized that if they sang the song at a certain tempo, used beautiful props and a gorgeous stage, picked suitable actors, and did rigorous rehearsals as well as coordinations, they could bring about a ‘positive’ effect through the song.”

“That sounds like a ritual,” Chen Chuan commented.

“The song does indeed resemble a ritual. Meanwhile, the different endings benefit those who fit the roles of the actors on stage.

“If you had a deeper understanding of the play, you’d know that plenty of rulers were really passionate about the play, but usually, it had the bad ending.

“Just like the rulers, Mr. Quan and some people in the other private booths wanted to see another ending, because it is more beneficial for them.

“That benefit can only be gained if the song is sung in a place where the play had never been performed before.

“It might seem like there are two available endings, but the direction of the play isn’t entirely up to the people. Sometimes, the ending goes against prior arrangements due to unforeseen circumstances.

“And I was here to get rid of those unforeseen circumstances,” he said while looking at Chen Chuan.

At this point, Chen Chuan understood what he meant. Due to the benefits from the play, the upper-class loved the ending where the king remained in power, not the regicide ending.

Of course, if the regicide ending was more beneficial for them, he was sure that they would watch the king being killed a million times over.

But if the play utilized an anomaly, then it was only natural that someone would need to deal with it. This was unavoidable. Perhaps the real ending of the play had always been the regicide ending.

The old armor might have appeared to correct the ending so that it led to the king’s death.

Of course, the king was not the king on stage, but the person who represented the king in the hall and who would benefit the most from the play.

Similar situations must have happened in the past, so they were experienced with them. That was why Mr. Quan had made Chen Bitong accompany him.

“What exactly are the ‘benefits’?” he asked.

“I don’t know, but I have no doubt that they’re the same old things,” Chen Bitong said with a shake of his head.

“Aren’t there any consequences for this?” Chen Chuan asked.

“It might be bad for the actors, but Bolun Corporation picked them, so that has nothing to do with us. They’ve already come to an agreement,” Chen Bitong answered.

Chen Chuan understood then that this was an exchange of benefits. Mr. Quan would get some form of benefit, while Bolun Corporation would get something else.

The spectators were getting ready to leave, and he had no intention of staying any further either.

“Since the play has ended, I should leave.”

“You’re still young, Captain Chen. You should take your time with most things. Listen and look for a while. Only then will you have a chance to correct or change things,” Chen Bitong said cryptically.

Chen Chuan cast him a glance before nodding and returning to his original booth.

There was supposed to be a final act before the curtain call, but the two main actresses had been taken for treatment, so the play came to a hasty end.

When Chen Chuan reunited with Tan Zhi, Pan Xiaode, and Qi Huixin, they left the hall together. After a while, Pan Xiaode asked, “Chen Chuan, was what happened back there... arranged beforehand?”

“It was an accident,” Chen Chuan replied with a shake of his head.

Tan Zhi patted Pan Xiaode’s shoulder. “Now, you should know just how amazing Chen Chuan is.”

The moment Pan Xiaode heard this, he perked up. “By the way, I couldn’t see your movements earlier. If you had displayed that level of strength while sparring against us, we might as well have given up right from the start. Strength really is everything, huh?”

“The fight on stage was really exciting, and I thought the two actresses were great. I wasn’t expecting you to defeat the shepherdess so quickly.”

“Speaking of which, there were two endings, right? What’s the Divine Song’s true ending? Does the shepherdess defeat the noblewoman, or is it the other way around?” Pan Xiaode asked.

Tan Zhi shrugged. “Who knows? There are some ruins in the area where the Divine Song originated. People have gone there to take a look, but the palace has collapsed, and nothing is left. No one knows what the true ending is.”

“What about the fallen knight?”

“There are too many records about him, and no one can tell which is the real one. I heard that only his armor has been left behind and passed down.”

They left the corridor at his words, and Chen Chuan stopped walking. “Why don’t you guys head back first? I might have some more things to deal with.”

The trio knew that Chen Chuan was working at the Resolution Department and believed that he had some things to wrap up because of what had happened. They agreed to it and parted ways.

As for Chen Chuan, he went back to where his fight with the shepherdess had happened. After observing the area a little, he went on stage and backstage. The actors and staff were packing up, and one of them went up to ask for his reason for being there.

Once he showed him his ID card, Chen Chuan said, “I’m interested in your props and would like to buy some of them.”

“We have a public auction after our tour, so we can’t sell any of our props right now. We’re terribly sorry about that.”

“One moment!” A huge, blond Norlander walked over. He spoke the Great Shun Republic’s national language fluently. “I’m Gordon, the person in charge of the play.”

He pushed the person aside before extending his hand for a shake. “Hello, Captain Chen. Which prop would you like to buy?”

“The armor,” Chen Chuan answered swiftly.

“That armor does have great commemorative value. Even though we have more shows to do, we have spare sets, so we can sell it to you. But this one is damaged, and we haven’t gotten to repairing it yet.” Gordon gave a flattering smile.

“It’s okay,” Chen Chuan said.

“Alright. A pleasure doing business with you.”

Gordon called for two staff members to bring out the armor, now pieced together once more. The rusty sword Chen Chuan broke was attached to it as well.

The shepherdess might have donned the suit of armor with ease, but it was actually quite heavy. The armor and sword together weighed more than fifty kilograms.

Chen Chuan gave them a cursory glance. Usually, after an anomaly was dealt with, it turned into some trinket, but this one didn’t.

This meant that it was unique, or the supernatural being’s main body wasn’t on the armor but somewhere else. Chen Chuan believed that it was in the divine song itself.

Right now, the armor looked like any other normal prop.

Chen Chuan asked about the price, and Gordon named a low price as a symbol before giving him a sturdy bag so that he could put it in.

“Thank you,” Chen Chuan said and walked out of the theater.

***

Ms. Wei, Tan Zhi’s tutor, walked with the politician she was close with to the parking lot, and they got into their car.

The politician asked, “Is Captain Chen the one you mentioned last time?”

“Yes. He’s close friends with my student,” Ms. Wei said.

“If you can, get on his good side.”

“I know. I’ve been trying to.”

“That’s not what I meant. Captain Chen has caught Mr. Quan’s eye, so his future is going to be bright,” the politician said. With a wave of his hand, he motioned for the driver to start the car.

The armored limousine drove out of the parking lot. As Ms. Wei stared at the neon lights and screens disappearing from sight, a well of emotions rose in her heart.

A martial artist might have a position in society and some degree of wealth, but a person could only truly be powerful if they had authority.

She found the situation regrettable. She had given tickets to Tan Zhi for the show. While they weren’t tickets for private booths, they were good seats that were separated from the others around them.

Ms. Wei had intended to talk to Tan Zhi during the interlude and get closer to Chen Chuan while also resolving the matter about her involvement in his attack, but the group didn’t sit in the seats she gave them. They had gone to a private booth.

Oh well, she was sure that she was going to get another chance in the future.

After leaving the theater, Chen Chuan drove back to his room to take a shower before putting the armor in his training room. He intended to ask the Resolution Department’s Logistics Department to repair it later.

He should put the remnant of the supernatural being in a separate space from the weapons display room, just in case it affected his weapons. After all, he couldn’t guarantee whether there was anything wrong with it.

Then, he went to the window and contacted Advisor Pei to give him a general run-down of what had happened. He also told him about his conversation with Chen Bitong.

“I’m not surprised that Chen Bitong gave you this chance. He often gives opportunities to youngsters he favors. That’s why so many people respect him,” Advisor Pei said.

“This also means that you’ve caught his eye. Remember to go to his training center. Then, if Chen Bitong is summoned back to the merged space, we’ll have a reason to transfer you to his side.”

“How high are the chances of him going back?” Chen Chuan asked.

“High,” Advisor Pei said and hesitated for a moment before continuing. “But this depends on the higher-ups. One thing might affect his return, though we aren’t certain yet. We will know soon. Once news about it is confirmed, I’ll tell you.”