The Freak Show Foreman

Third Monday of June.

After a long time, both the 2nd and 3rd halls of the Rose Windmill were open simultaneously.

It was due to a special performance by an external theatre troupe.

The performances continued until Saturday.

Two circus troupes participating in the Grand Circus Prix each occupied one hall and competed against each other.

This special performance was not limited to just this week.

For the next two years, circus troupes from around the world would take turns competing every week.

The residents of the town, living off entertainment and accommodation, couldn’t help but smile at the thought of the overflowing guests and tourists for the next two years.

The ticket booth in front of the cabaret was filled with guests waiting to exchange their tickets.

The theme of the duel presented by the Rose Windmill was ’Free to Enter, Pay to Enjoy.’

Although admission was free, not everyone could just enter and watch.

The theatre management had prepared a system to exclude those who couldn’t afford to spend money.

[100 Zirco Coins] = 1-day admission, general seating.

[180 Zirco Coins] = 1-day admission, A-grade reserved seating.

[400 Zirco Coins] = 2-day admission, A-grade reserved seating.

[700 Zirco Coins] = 2-day admission, S-grade reserved seating.

[1200 Zirco Coins] = …

…

[5000 Zirco Coins] = 6-day advance admission, VIP reserved seating.

[※Note: Only purchases made with included admission tickets and Zirco Coins can be used for purchases inside the cabaret. ］

Zirco Coins were a kind of virtual currency usable inside the theater.

Each person could only purchase one admission ticket, and the amount of Zirco Coins usable for each ticket was fixed.

In other words, there was a minimum and maximum amount of currency that could be used per person.

This served to filter out those who couldn’t afford a minimum purchasing power while preventing sponsors from indiscriminately pouring money to benefit one side in the profit-sharing activity.

While admission was free, it meant that once inside the theatre, freely moving between the 2nd and 3rd halls was allowed. However, to become a participant in this ’profit game,’ actual admission fees were practically required.

Wonderstein marveled at Bouvalle’s business acumen.

What he envisioned were casinos and theme parks.

Entering was easy, but to enjoy the games, one needed chips, similar to casinos.

Similarly, entering a theme park was easy, but to participate in the games, one needed tokens, introducing differentiated pricing for entry tickets and currency for use in the internal shops, much like a theme park.

Combining it with Zirco Coins, the entry ticket encompassed the right to enjoy differentiated services, the currency for using the shops, and the betting currency for participating in voting games.

Even those who had reservations about free shows couldn’t complain when they saw Bouvalle selling entry tickets.

Some circus groups protested the tiered pricing of entry tickets.

Dramas targeting the nobility argued for the removal of the 100-coin tier, advocating for an upward levelling, while those entertaining the common folk insisted on eliminating high-tier options like 5000 coins, pushing for a downward levelling.

However, Bouvalle countered such protests with rational arguments.

"Each pricing tier is based on the revenue structure analyzed from years of free shows at our theater. It reflects the consumption distribution of the audience who visit here to enjoy free shows."

Indeed, tickets for different tiers were sold with similar competition rates.

Those aiming for profits through upscale or budget strategies had to rethink their tactics to target different audience segments.

Grand Prix participants didn’t need to wait for a ticket draw.

Each circus group received five ’6-day advance tickets’ and 10,000 Zirco Coins.

This served the role of evaluating each other among competitors.

While other circus groups might compete to see who would get the tickets within the five slots, fortunately, the Monster Circus had a limited number of people who could go out anyway.

Wonderstein, Ella, Yurakne, Maya, and Sven naturally obtained the entry tickets.

The group also fairly divided the 10,000 Zirco coins, with 2000 each.

"As you have to use it for six days, use it wisely."

Ignoring the director’s advice, the group made a bet on which side would win in the upcoming competition, betting Zirco coins on it.

The Zirco Coins received this week could only be used for this week’s competition.

Sales and net profit were announced every day, so they decided to exchange Zirco Coins on the 6th day based on the results up to the 5th day.

Wonderstein and Maya bet 200 Zirco Coins each on the Silver Veil Circus, while the other three bet 200 Zirco Coins each on the Pandora Magic Show.

At the time of bet, the Pandora Magic Show was leading 3:2.

However, at the point of deciding which show to watch first upon entering the theatre, the tables turned.

Silver Veil Circus.

Pandora Magic Show.

Both had earned a long-standing reputation in the industry.

One specialized in illusion magic, while the other focused on escape magic.

The two show styles were distinctly different.

One side provided a show purely with illusions without sending anyone onto the stage, while the other side featured the iconic magician, Lweeni, who had been at the center of the stage for decades.

"I’ve seen the Escape King’s show in Vegas before. The narrative, suspense, and humor all worked organically in the live setting. He truly is a veteran who has been in the industry for decades. As for illusion shows… well, I haven’t seen the shows, but illusion shows are usually just one-time tricks. It’s likely to get tiring after a few ’wow, amazing’ moments…"

Ella expressed her opinion, but the opinions of others, excluding her, leaned towards the illusion show.

Magic, like escape tricks, was common even on the streets, but people were curious about the skill of the illusion magic at the industry’s peak.

In the end, the five decided to determine what to watch first through rock-paper-scissors.

4:1.

It seemed impossible to lose.

Surprisingly, Ella won three out of two consecutive rock-paper-scissors games against four opponents, never losing or tying once, securing victory with eight consecutive wins.

"All right! Let’s go watch the escape show!"

Maya looked at Ella, who clenched her fist triumphantly, with an expression that she couldn’t believe it.

"Tell me honestly, Vice-Captain, did you receive a blessing as a magician? It wasn’t just rock-paper-scissors, right?"

Instead of answering, Ella lightly loosened one wrist and quickly demonstrated the forms of rock, paper, and scissors.

Dozens of changes occurred in just 2 or 3 seconds.

It was a rapid movement to the point where afterimages were visible, and the sound of the wind could be heard.

"It’s nothing special. It’s just using a bit of intuition and hand skills."

The four decided not to expect fairness in games involving Ella’s sleight of hand and followed her towards Hall 3.

The atmosphere in the hall where the Pandora Magic Show was held was festive, like a festival.

An elderly man wearing an orange cloak appeared on stage.

Escape King Lweeni.

With his pure white hair and robust physique, he exuded the dignity of a seasoned veteran in the industry.

His name burst out like cheers from all around.

He responded to the audience’s calls, neither too arrogant nor too humble.

Walking to the center of the stage, he raised his finger and shouted.

"You won’t be able to take your eyes off for even a second!"

His iconic line was echoed by many in the crowd.

Ella raised one hand on her side and raised her index finger, mimicking his gesture.

Lweeni, despite his age, exuded energy in every aspect of his voice and actions.

Even his sense of humor was unremarkably good enough for all generations to enjoy without feeling burdened.

Making fun of a few audience members, both giving and receiving jokes, was done with such ease that everyone could laugh without discomfort. His self-deprecating jokes flowed naturally.

Before starting the escape magic, he had already elevated the atmosphere significantly with just his talk show.

The first magic he prepared was escaping from a glass container filled with water.

The glass container gilded, water leaking in, the elderly magician jumped up, using cotton to plug the holes, trying to buy time.

Of course, it was futile. The gilding on the glass widened, and the magician banged on the glass wall, screaming in desperation.

The performance was both comical and filled with a sense of crisis, capturing everyone’s attention on Lweeni’s show. Read exclusive adventures at NovelBin.Côm

His confident declaration that no one could take their eyes off even for a second turned out to be true.

Maya, who rarely got excited, found herself leaning forward with her hand gripping the armrest tighter than usual.

Wonderstein lamented the unfortunate situation where he couldn’t naturally immerse himself in his own circumstances due to the laughing man.

The water level in the glass rose.

His whole body was submerged in water.

Bubbles foamed from his mouth, and his complexion turned pale.

It simply didn’t look like an act anymore.

Time stood still as Lweeni, still submerged, just emitted bubbles and struggled weakly.

It was only then that the audience realized something was wrong.

An uneasy murmur spread through the audience.

The chaos extended to the stage.

Employees of Pandora Magic Show rushed onto the stage from below to assess the situation.

Amidst this, Lweeni’s movements slowed down.

His complexion turned purple.

He was drowning.

A muscular employee, wielding a hammer, leaped onto the stage.

He swung the hammer to shatter the tank.

Bang!

With the thunderous noise, all the lights in the hall went out.

People let out terrified screams.

Sobs mixed with the clamor.

After what felt like several seconds, lights returned.

Only one.

One spotlight illuminated the back of the audience.

There, the elderly magician, drenched in water, leaned against the wall, exhaling rough breaths.

"Heh, heh… This doesn’t feel the same as it used to when I was younger."

He smiled wryly.

After a moment of silence, a thunderous cheer and applause followed.

The lights fully recovered.

The tank on the stage was intact.

The sound heard earlier wasn’t the hammer breaking the glass.

Not a single drop of water fell on the path from the stage to the audience.

During the short intermission, Ella shouted with a triumphant expression.

"81%!"

"81%? What does that mean?"

"It’s the script recreation value. What we practiced. If we reach that level, we can compete with the show we just witnessed."

Some kind of performance power?

"Is that accurate?"

"Just a feeling. A feeling."

Upon Ella’s words, Wonderstein nodded.

"But it seems Pandora’s side didn’t prepare for a different strategy."

"No need for fancy tricks in a good show."

In reality, they ordered drinks and snacks at the table to watch Lweeni’s next show.

In this way, in the three segments of Lweeni’s show, they spent over 1500 Zirco Coins.