Chapter 90: Test of the Rose Windmill Cabaret (24)
The planning circus troupe was usually organized temporarily for a specific purpose. Even in this Circus Grand Prix, there were quite a few planning circus troupes created by sponsors.
Satbyeol Circus was one of them.
When Ella examined the composition of Satbyeol Circus, she didnt think it was well-organized. While they had renowned acrobats, that was about it. They lacked the vibrant personalities that Pandora, Silver Veil, Papal, Mango, and others had.
She estimated their performance level to be around the early 50s at best.
However, as their performance began and 30 minutes passed, she had to revise her evaluation. Their skills were not necessarily superior to the general assessment; most of the acrobats were between elite and second-rate.
There was nothing particularly special in the event program. They showcased strength demonstrations, tightrope walking, ground skills, animal training, shooting, and the traditional five acts.
It was, as expected, a miscellaneous store of circus acts categorized by type.
However, the skill of the ringmaster handling them was extraordinary.
Rooster Minova.
He had gained some fame as a singer and strongman, but his real talent shone elsewhere. Despite his somewhat rough and rude demeanour, his skill in leading the stage was excellent. His ability to interpret the acrobats talents, unearth jokes, and convey them to the audience was top-notch.
Moreover, on the stage, there was another host who could balance out his rough image.
That was none other than his daughter and the deputy ringmaster of the circus, Ruelle.
Well, the next act will be a tightrope performance by two acrobats doing a mid-air swing.
The adorable girl in chick clothing climbed up, shyly surveying the audience, evoking warm smiles.
As they enjoyed the performance, an hour quickly passed.
Well then, see you again next time!
All the Satbyeol acrobats came out to bid farewell.
Ella was satisfied.
A hosting duo
She recalled their performance this morning.
The members did reasonably well.
Except for Bendict and Jobel.
Despite Ella warning them yesterday, they ended up getting drunk, suffered from hangovers until this morning, and managed to cause an accident on stage.
Bendict tripped over his own bandages, getting entangled and showcasing a slapstick of rolling around. Jobel vomited heavily on the stage.
Ellas heart pounded when Bendict made a mistake.
His sequence was the first among the members.
The mistake he made could affect the subsequent performers.
Fortunately, at that moment, Wonderstein played the role of a host excellently.
He maintained perfect composure no matter what unfolded in front of him. He didnt convey any of the previous chaos and confusion to the next in line.
At times like this, Ella found Wondersteins inhuman side reassuring.
A smile with no hint of wavering, like a doll.
Circus officials praised his perfect self-control, but Ella knew it wasnt an act; it was his true self.
Having watched the performance, she felt restless.
She, too, wanted to stand on the stage.
As the main host, I didnt have enough stamina, the assistant ringmaster should handle it well. However, would he accept my proposal?
Ella stood up and scored the Satbyeol Circus.
57%.
Although their scores were similar, it couldnt determine the victory or defeat. The outcome would be decided by the creativity of the prizes.
Ella left the hall. In the middle of Halls 2 and 3, the concession stands of the two circuses were lined up side by side. Satbyeol Circus, being a planning-oriented circus, had professionals in each field. The food they sold at the stands was prepared by professional chefs. They were not only skilled in cooking but also in captivating performances, being former acrobats. Meatballs juggled in the air, pizza dough twirled on peoples fingers, and flames erupted from the pan to the ceiling. It was a spectacle that could be considered a show in itself.
In contrast, the concession stand of the Monster Circus was modest. There were no flashy attractions or appetizing food. The staff running the stand were all rats. With their skills, it was challenging to create impressive dishes. Therefore, their sales strategy had its limitations. They focused on tomato dishes, which were well-received in Charlotia due to being both delicious and affordable. Tomato spaghetti, tomato juice, tomato canap, etc. These were foods that could be found even in the remotest countryside of Charlotia.
The contrast in the quality of the two stands was stark. However, Ella was not discouraged. The food at the stands was just to meet expectations for them anyway. They had prepared separate items.
Oh! Legendary costume revealed! Tuxedo!
The shouts of someone nearby attracted the attention of those around.
A man held up a card, on which the word Tuxedo was written in orange ink.
If its a legendary, there arent many types, right?
Oh, wow! I scratched five, and I got one rare costume!
Jealous.
The man who pulled the legendary card looked around with a triumphant expression. He even placed the card on the lapel of his jacket.
Ill be back!
He greeted his companions and entered the back door of Hall 3.
Inside the practice room where the man entered, there were six makeshift tents. Each tent had the nicknames of the Monster Circus members written on them.
After briefly contemplating, the man went to stand in front of the tent with the nickname of the vampire.
Yet, what impressed him the most was still that.
More than anything, drawing the picture was the best part.
The man who entered the tent came out after a while, holding a large picture.
In it, a vampire in a tuxedo was about to devour a person, while a man in front of him screamed.
This was Wondersteins invention.
Providing an opportunity for the audience to take pictures with monsters and then giving them the photos.
He thought of this idea by recalling the mascots in theme parks taking pictures with dolls and printing them on the spot. However, the cameras of this era took a long time for development, and their quality was poor, making them unsuitable as souvenirs. Instead, they had something similar to modern cameras with Mayas sketchbook.
The reward for raising Mayas favorability to 15 was this. It perfectly captured the scenes in Mayas vision on the sketchbook.
With just this, she could play a role similar to a camera.
Of course, she couldnt tear pages from the valuable magical sketchbook to give to customers.
Maya looked at the drawn picture and accurately reproduced it on a nearby canvas.
Using her psychic power, she controlled the fluid like a mist, spraying it on the blank paper to create an image as if printed by a printer. This required a level of fluid control with psychic power that was extremely precise.
Wonderstein hesitated to make such a demanding request. There were barely three weeks left until the competition, and expecting her to acquire printer-level fluid control skills seemed harsh.
Maya, dont overdo it. Just a regular oil painting level is enough.
No, I can do it.
Maya thought that she had received a favor from him that would be hard to repay for a lifetime. However, he thought that just two and a half years of service would be sufficient. During that period, she couldnt show any signs of incompetence.
Microscopic control of psychic forces.
It was a highly challenging task at the level of the Magic Academys graduation project, and she had less than three weeks to complete it.
She doubted if it could be done within such a short time.
However, she was one of the most exceptional geniuses in the history of the academy.
Just days before the showdown, she managed to control fluids at a level comparable to color printing.
The moment she drew the first picture with psychic forces, Maya realized another fact.
That she could finally impart physical force to illusions.
Traditional illusion magic using Chi required a high level of willpower to imbue illusions with physicality. However, Mayas illusion magic was about implementing the surface of illusions as polyhedra. There was no need for willpower. You just had to coat the surface of the polyhedron with psychic forces.
With the ability to manipulate paint at the level of powder using psychic forces, Maya could now do it.
Her admiration for Wonderstein deepened even more.
Even while running the circus, he was always thinking about how to grow himself. Ella thought Wondersteins idea was good.
Since the performers worked for their drawings, there were no issues with raw material costs aside from paper and paint. The problem was the selling price.
If they set too high a price, they couldnt attract low-coin owners who could only afford 100 or 200 coins. On the other hand, if they set too low a price, it would be difficult to extract profits from VIPs who spent thousands of coins. People wouldnt have a reason to buy an item that cheap.
Thats where Wonderstein came up with another trick.
He utilized his costume-changing ability.
He created a costume catalog, assigning different prices to each costume.
Those with high coins could draw portraits of performers with legendary or premium outfits like a crimson-plated vampire, a black widow, a spider lady, or a court jester skeleton.
Meanwhile, those with fewer coins had to settle for basic outfits.
Those who had coins wanted a differentiated service compared to those below them. They enjoyed the envious glances of others as they purchased high-priced costume cards at the store.
Wondersteins cunning didnt end there.
He gave a chance to those with low coins.
He set up a probability-based lottery next to the store.
He divided costume cards into common, rare, premium, and legendary grades according to the catalog, placed them in boxes, and introduced a system where they could be drawn with appropriate probabilities.
Wonderstein knew how much money the probability-based lottery and costume sales could generate.
Unused costume cards could be exchanged for food at the store, lowering psychological barriers and prompting people to spend their remaining money on another draw instead of on Monster Circus food.
The fact that it was something anyone could eat easily meant that it was a food with a universal taste. People exchanged general and rare cards for monster circus dishes without complaint.
Tomatoes were almost free as raw materials, so it wasnt a big loss strategy.
With this, despite the overwhelming gap in store quality, on the first day, Monster Circus narrowly surpassed Satbeyol Circus in sales.
Ella found it hard to remain silent while watching all of this.
A duel through circus performances!
The blood of an acrobat flowed through her veins.
Let me go on stage too!
I told you Im the host, didnt I?
Ella stared directly at Wonderstein, who was dressed as a clown.
Although he didnt give a name to that costume, she called it Joker.
I get it. Its impossible for me to be the host. So at least let me assist from the side.
Assistant? Its not in the script.
Ive come up with something. You just need to learn a few reactions. Ill take care of the rest.
Well, but Im worried about Ellas health
I really wont overdo it!
Wonderstein chuckled in response to her sparkling eyes.
Indeed, she was an uncontrollable circus maniac.
Okay. But what about the costume? You said you wont wear the clothes I made.
If you dressed as a clown, then I should wear a clown costume.
She took out the clothes she had prepared from her bag.
It was a clown costume with split branches, alternating in red and black.
Ella wanted to go on stage for the next performance, so they cant go without practising.
Even though only a few lines were added to the script, going on stage without coordinating even once was a risky venture.
Strangely, Ella wasnt worried at all.
Was it because of this self-confidence?
The jester and the clown.
Their acting was like a duo that had been harmonizing for a long time, without a single misstep.
Ella added appropriate remarks and jokes to match Wondersteins bizarre acting, and Wonderstein calmly coordinated the stage progress without being flustered by her sudden ad-libs.
So, until Friday, Monster Circus and Satbeyol Circus continued their intense competition in both performances and merchandise.
The sales until Friday were almost equal.
And the decisive Saturday arrived.
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