In the moderately sized theater.
A young man dressed in splendid attire with an attractive appearance was introducing a girl in front of him, "This is Mr. Elm, who handles things reliably and safely. And this is Miss Mosie."
Another man, standing on the stage dressed maturely, waved his hand:
"That’s right, Mr. Elm, let’s not stand on ceremony; I’m a profligate young man and I admire Miss Mosie. I hope to gain her favor as well."
The young man smiled:
"I like your frankness, so let’s get straight to the point."
"I can entrust Mosie to you, but what will you give me in exchange?"
"I suppose you don’t own any land?"
"And my sister Mosie, she is the most beautiful girl in town."
The middle-aged man chuckled lightly:
"Except for a few flower pots on the balcony, I don’t own an inch of land or a small twig. However, you must have heard that I have a very rich uncle in the east who is in the tea business. As you know, he likes me the most and will leave all his wealth to me. If you are willing, how about I write a promissory note repayable upon my death? Once he dies, you can come and ask me for the money."
The young man immediately turned his head and snorted through his nostrils:
"A promissory note? I might live till a hundred and still never see the principal on this piece of paper!"
The middle-aged man quickly spoke to reassure:
"What, are you afraid he will live too long? You don’t know, years of sea travel have taken their toll on his health. Poor uncle, I’ve heard his health has severely deteriorated recently, and he doesn’t even recognize the servants at home anymore."
Upon hearing this, the young man couldn’t help but burst into laughter.
And the middle-aged man also began to join in the laughter.
Suddenly, the focus in the small theater shifted.
The spotlight moved to a girl beside them who had never spoken but whose eyes conveyed profound sadness.
The attractive girl took her gentle, dew-like gaze from the two men and then feebly sat down on the ground.
Her pale blue gown sprawled around her, like a blooming iris.
Immediately following, a melancholic, melodious singing voice arose from her:
"My love, my Yeruda."
"My brother is selling me to Elm, what should I do?"
"Please come save your beloved Mosie, I..."
The girl began to choke up, and at that moment, music also began, as a man entered from the other side of the stage:
"How unjust, how unfair is this poor world!"
"Lovers unable to unite!"
The performance proceeded smoothly.
As one of only three viewers in the tiny theater, Ronald quietly sat in his seat, enjoying the performance on stage.
Not professional performers, but with his aesthetic developed in previous life experiences, he was able to quietly watch the performance to the end.
Similar to an opera, yet richer in performance elements than an opera.
Is this the form of expression developed by people in this world?
About half an hour later, Ronald finished watching this brief performance, then walked out of the theater amidst the enthusiastic thanks of the actors, the whole process being calm and without any disturbance.
There were no mysterious incidents looking for trouble.
Nor were there any unexpected events that interrupted the performance.
In Ronald’s view, this was just how normal life should be; a little pleasure mixed with comfort, a leisurely and comfortable rhythm.
However, just at this moment, a young and familiar voice sounded beside Ronald:
"It’s ’Mosie and Yeluda.’"
"This plot tells the tragic fate between two lovers, yet it ends with a grand reunion through a twist of fate, which I quite enjoy."
Hearing the voice, Ronald turned toward the sound.
Sure enough, he saw Raphael waiting for him at the entrance of the theater.
This guy was now leaning against the wall, his eyes roving over Ronald as if he were surprised that Ronald would actually come to see the performance.
Faced with such an expression from Raphael, Ronald simply shrugged:
"I quite liked the performance just now."
"Stuff that celebrates love and freedom is generally liked by everyone."
Rising from the wall, Raphael walked towards Ronald and spoke:
"For me, I actually like the moment when the curtain falls on the villain the most."
"To be pierced through the heart by the very girl he desperately sought after, that kind of plot is truly intriguing."
As he said this, Raphael gave Ronald a mischievous smile.
Clearly, his words hinted at something.
"Can we not play around ..."
Facing his friend’s expression, Ronald criticized Raphael before he continued:
"I actually prefer to watch the performances alone."
"Is it really alright for you to come find me at this time?"
Moving a few steps closer to Ronald, Raphael said with a smile:
"As long as there aren’t unexpected fools to bother me, going back half an hour earlier won’t be a problem."
Ronald shrugged helplessly:
"But since that’s the case, what should we do now?"
"You surely didn’t sneak out just before the show to chat with me, did you?"
"How could that be?" Raphael shook his head as if it were obvious and then explained, "I mean, I need you to help me with a reconnaissance. Something seems off with Sardak lately, your spell for sensing human emotions might work well."
Raphael had indeed helped Ronald quite a lot.
Faced with such a request from a friend, Ronald naturally would not refuse.
Looking around, Ronald asked:
"What specifically seems off, and what should I pay attention to?"
Raphael straightened his tone to explain:
"It’s related to ’non-humans’."
"Your reconnaissance magic can distinguish human emotions, so you can tell the situation at a glance."
The spell from "Divine Comedy" was indeed useful for detecting humans, almost never failing.
Nonetheless, just to be cautious, Ronald asked again:
"Besides this, is there nothing else?"
Raphael’s eyes were firm as he answered with a steady tone:
"Nothing else, that’s it."
Pressing against him to give Ronald a card, he whispered:
"By the way, if you move quickly, remember to come see my performance."
"I guarantee you won’t be disappointed."