Chapter 420: Chapter 285: The Entire Venue Erupts
The grand theater was filled to capacity.
Many influential figures of Peacock City had gathered, their expressions a mix of curiosity, skepticism, scrutiny, and astonishment.
Under the watchful eyes of hundreds, Chen Lun ascended the stage with a composed demeanor.
The host bowed to the audience and then handed the stage over to this hope of the theater, Mr. Jack.
The high-quality wooden stage floor, polished to a shine, added a touch of class to the theater.
Chen Lun’s leather shoes clicked on the floor, the sound captured by a special microphone and relayed through speakers around the theater.
In the quiet venue, no other noise but his footsteps could be heard.
A vintage spotlight, manned by a staff member on the catwalk above, focused a beam on Chen Lun.
He didn’t offer any opening remarks or warm-ups, just smiled in response to the intense stares from below, spreading his arms slightly and touching his chest.
Sitting directly in front of the stage was Viscount Harrington and his family.
Viscount Harrington watched the young performer on stage expressionlessly, pondering unknown thoughts, while his wife and daughter beside him showed looks of amazement.
That strikingly handsome face, under the spotlight’s glow, dazzled onlookers.
Chen Lun then took off his hat, spun it in a magician’s flourish, and held it aloft on his palm, then with the Silver Staff, gestured to the audience.
“I bet this guy is going to pull a dove out of the hat.
Garderson chuckled softly, speaking in a show-off tone to the noble lady beside him.
He was sitting next to Viscount Harrington’s daughter, Miss Tracey.
Tracey, wearing pretty lace headbands, had her hair done in twin braids today. She glanced at her father, but he seemed uninterested in the performance.
So Tracey turned back to Garderson and winked, laughing:
“Hey, let’s wait and see then.”
Garderson gave Tracey what he thought was a charming smile.
From Chen Lun’s black hat, a white dove flew out, flapping its wings and soaring about the stage.
The audience immediately booed, voicing their disapproval.
They were tired of such clichéd tricks.
“See, I wasn’t wrong, this guy looks okay but has no real talent… I don’t know where Hoyle found this third-rate magician; he’s really ruining the theater’s reputation.”
Garderson said with a disdainful laugh.
Miss Tracey next to him looked disappointed.
She originally held a favorable impression due to the magician’s looks and anticipated a unique performance, but it turned out to be the same old trick.
However, the magician seemed indifferent to the audience’s reaction; he still wore a slight smile, cradling the black hat towards the audience.
He twirled the Silver Staff and then tapped the black hat as if a wizard casting a spell.
A black cat, following the white dove, suddenly jumped out of the hat.
The crowd’s booing noticeably declined, seemingly stunned by this turn of events.
The Silver Staff tapped again, and this time a hound leaped out of the hat.
Then came a wild boar, an antelope, a leopard, and even a tiger… as if that small black hat contained a zoo!
“My Gods! This is unbelievable!”
Gasps erupted from the audience.
Garderson and his brother Lance both widened their eyes, as if witnessing something inconceivable.
Viscount Harrington snapped out of his reverie by the cheers around him, and the exclamations of his wife and daughter.
“Dad! Look! The magician just produced so many animals from the hat. How did he do it?!”
Tracey’s cheeks were flushed with excitement.
Viscount Harrington watched the performance, initially amazed, then seemed to ponder something, frowning.
The stage was now occupied by a variety of animals, standing in line well-behaved as if waiting for inspection.
Chen Lun stood before the animals, finally placing the black hat gently back on his head and bowing politely to the audience.
The red curtain above slowly descended, gradually concealing the stage, and the audience erupted into applause.
The sound of clapping thundered.
They knew, this was surely just the appetizer.
City Garden Grand Theater had been advertised for so long, it couldn’t possibly be just this one anticlimactic show.
Following that stunning scene, the audience found the new magician intriguing, and their expectations for the upcoming performances soared.
Miss Tracey’s smile remained undiminished, her eyes sparkling as she kept her gaze fixed on the stage curtain, unwilling to miss any part of the show.
Garderson and Lance exchanged glances, both wearing sour expressions.
The more sensational the theater’s performance, the more amazed the audience, the angrier they became… for they had come today hoping to see the performance fail and witness the look of despair on their brother Hoyle’s face.
Instead, this show had been maddeningly successful!
“I hope Corvey doesn’t screw up, or he’s in for it!”
Lance muttered lowly.
Garderson nodded, took a deep breath, and focused back on the stage.
As the red curtain was drawn once more, the audience couldn’t help but exclaim again.