CHAPTER 29

Unlike the surrounding audience, who were either shocked or frightened, Hoan Carlson was excitedly watching the massive screen hanging in the arena.

What he saw wasn’t just a magic shadow trailer; it was the future of performing arts, his dream.

As the future heir of the Horseman Theater Troupe, he had long grown tired of the current state of drama.

But what had just appeared on the screen was completely different.

The people there didn’t look like they were performing; it felt as though what was happening had truly occurred.

There were no awkward, overcomplicated words, no forced imitation of ancient noble accents, no rigid physical routines, and no cardboard-like set designs…

The actors actually spoke with accents from different regions while performing.

In the theater, that would usually get them a slap on the wrist.

In contrast, although it was just a short clip, The Saint Mountain Journey felt more like living, breathing people rather than puppets.

Oh, okay, the zombie actors weren’t exactly alive, but they were still great, perfectly matching his imagination of creations made by necromancers. If they weren’t real, then it must be the necromancers' fault.

Zhuoge Film Studios.

He remembered the name. How did they manage to create such visuals?

He had watched magic shadow films before, like the yoyo short films. Even then, he had felt the technology was promising, but he never imagined it would develop so quickly.

Two months ago, he had tried to convince his father to introduce this technology to the Horseman Theater Troupe, but he had been criticized for being distracted by novelties and abandoning proper art.

No, he had to try again. The Horseman Troupe was now at the bottom of the city's three major troupes, and many people didn’t believe they were fit to be mentioned alongside the Purple Lily and Swan Castle troupes.

If they didn’t seize the opportunity now, they might never get another chance.

Thinking about this, he decided not to stay for the upcoming yoyo competition.

He turned to his friends and said, "I’ve got an urgent matter, I need to leave."

Before they could respond, he rushed toward the arena exit, hailed a carriage, and headed back to the Horseman Theater.

The theater was located by the Siren River, once a popular spot where influential people frequently visited. Now, it felt somewhat empty, with no recent hit plays that garnered both fame and fortune.

"Young master." The servant greeted him hastily as he stepped out of the carriage.

"Is my father in?"

"He’s in the study."

Hoan rushed upstairs, but the door to the study was closed. He knew his father must be meeting someone.

Voices from inside could be heard.

"This is the highest price I can offer. You know, other troupes wouldn't pay that much for this script."

"You really need this script, don’t you? Just look at your theater, how many people even show up these days?"

"This is just a temporary slump. The Horseman will overcome it. As long as you give us the script, we won’t forget the help you’ve provided."

"How about this? I have a better proposal. Transfer the theater to me, and you can still perform here. You’ll also get the script for free."

"Are you joking?"

"Do you think I’m joking?"

"This is impossible. The theater is the culmination of half my life’s work."

"Then it’s a pity. You'll have to wait until your hard work dries up."

The door to the study opened, and a well-dressed person came out. Upon seeing Hoan waiting outside, they removed their hat and nodded.

Inside, Hoan’s father sat dejectedly in a chair. He had been like this for the past few months.

"Father," Hoan walked in, "I know how to revive the Horseman Theater."

"Let’s hear it." His father lifted his head, forcing out a stiff smile.

Hoan knew his father had little hope, but he didn’t want to disappoint him.

"Do you know about magic shadows? Let’s learn to make magic shadow films. Let’s start with The Saint Mountain Journey—oh, The Saint Mountain Journey is the magic shadow film coming out next week. Can you imagine it? I’ve never seen such realistic footage. We could show magic shadows in our theater..."

His father waved his hand, signaling Hoan to pause. Then he pulled out a letter from his desk.

"Take a look."

"What’s this?"

"An invitation from Zhuoge Film Studios."

Hoan opened the letter. It invited all local theaters to show The Saint Mountain Journey, and theaters that signed up early would get a higher share of the profits.

"This is perfect! They've invited us—what are we waiting for? If we sign up now, we’ll get the highest share!"

"Don’t you understand? This is declaring war on the entire theater industry, forcing theaters to choose sides. Do you think if we show The Saint Mountain Journey, the theater industry will accept us?"

"They never accepted us in the first place," Hoan said, his voice breaking with anger.

The rise of the Horseman Theater had not been easy. At first, they performed street comedy, and comedy was always at the bottom of the industry’s hierarchy.

It wasn’t until they became more well-known and attracted larger audiences that they were able to move into a big theater and become a renowned troupe.

Since then, they tried repeatedly to transition into serious dramas, but each time, they failed, which caused the troupe to decline.

Eventually, even their comedy couldn’t win over audiences anymore.

The traditional theater industry had never accepted them; they only tolerated them when the Horseman Theater made money, waiting for every chance to drag them down.

"I’ve worked so hard for so many years just to gain the industry’s recognition. I’ve come too far to start over."

His father’s tone was filled with helplessness.

"So are we just going to wait to die? The theater can’t survive much longer. Even if magic shadows fail, can it get any worse?"

"But the troupe still has so many people to feed. If we show magic shadows, what happens to them?"

"They can shoot magic shadows too! I know the actors in The Saint Mountain Journey. They're from the Mixed Beast Troupe. If they can do it, so can the Horseman Theater."

His father, looking troubled, grasped his graying hair.

"Father!" Hoan nearly pleaded. "Would you be so timid if you were younger?"

———————

A carriage with the Horseman Theater Troupe’s emblem rolled down Cornflower Street.

The square on the north side of the street had been set up with a screen and seats. It looked like a temporary venue for a magic shadow screening.

Hoan could hardly believe that the team behind The Saint Mountain Journey came from a toy store.

Arriving at the third floor, he was greeted by a young woman who appeared even younger than him.

Oh, and a dragonling.

"The Horseman Theater can screen The Saint Mountain Journey, but there’s a condition—we want to learn how to make magic shadows."

"What do you want to use magic shadows for?" Aisha asked.

"To film comedies."

"Do you have a script?"

"Yes." Hoan was more passionate about scriptwriting than acting, always carrying his proudest work with him.

Aisha took the script.

Zhuoge glanced at it. To be honest, it was structured well. Compared to the current drama writing style, it was closer to a film structure.

But there was one thing that wasn’t quite right. The protagonist in the script, a young man delivering food, whose parents were regular farmers, actually lived in a single room in the riverbank district, working six hours a day and spending the rest of his time reading and improving himself.

"It’s pretty funny."

"Thank you."

"No, I’m not saying the content of the script is funny, I’m saying the script itself is quite funny."

Hoan was caught off guard and couldn’t speak, his face turning red visibly.

"Here’s the deal. We can teach you how to make magic shadows, no upfront payment. We’ll settle the share once the project is done."

"Really?" Hoan was overjoyed.

"But there’s a condition. I remember the Horseman Theater came from the streets. You’ll need to go to the Mixed Beast District and perform street comedy for a month. See if your script can be improved, and then we can talk about magic shadows."

Hoan nodded. He had no choice.

"Now, let’s focus on preparing for The Saint Mountain Journey’s release."