The open plaza was packed with people, to the point where it became difficult to even walk through the crowds. It was fortunate that the group arrived relatively early, or they might have been forced to watch the performance from the very borders of the plaza.
One interesting observation was that majority of the audience actually seemed to be locals, which suggested that it was unlikely to be their first time watching the performance. To be able to draw in repeat spectators while maintaining the same story, it was testament to just how well-liked the performance truly was.
Of course, it also helped that it was free to watch the performance. So long as they were able to find a space to either sit or stand here at this crowded open plaza, anyone could come and watch without having to pay a single coin.
What was not free, however, was the merchandise on sale.
On each side of the stage were booths selling items related to the play, which lines of people were currently queuing for. Puppets, dolls, accessories, clothes, books, portraits... there were all sorts of items on sale, and stock was rapidly flying off the shelves.
From the merchandise sales alone, one could see the immense popularity of this performance, or at the very least, the story it was based on.
Zhao Yunxiao could not help but rub his chin in contemplation upon seeing this.
Watching the performance might be free, but profits from the merchandise sales probably more than made up for the production costs.
The popular performance boosted the sales of relevant merchandise, while the spread of relevant merchandise similarly boosted the popularity of the performance.
It was a virtuous cycle that benefited both fields in perpetuity!
To integrate performance with merchandise sales... could there be an opportunity for the Flying Shell Performance Group to collaborate with the Importer Jun Chuan as well?
If things worked out well, perhaps they could ask for a small cut from Jun Chuan's sales revenue. In fact, it might even be possible to create their own merchandise in the future!
This was definitely a venture worth looking into!
As the time of the performance drew near, the long lines at the merchandise sales booths started clearing up. In fact, some even left the lines before they got their turn, unwilling to risk missing even the tiniest bit of the performance just to remain in the queue.
And then it began.
The curtains parted, and the great-looking actors and actresses started to do their thing. They wore natural-looking makeup, donned exquisite costumes, and acted against intricately crafted backdrops. Each expression seemed so genuine, and each gesture seemed so real. Just like that, they brought to life the story of the origin of Demonfall City.
It was similar to the story that they have all heard before, though there were some additional details that were not mentioned in the popularised version. Of course, whether it was the truth or mere embellishment to dramatise the performance remained to be established.
As the story went, the tyrannical demon Night Emperor rose to power one day, creating an empire of demons that terrorised the entire region. Repeated attempts by the various lords of the neighbouring cities to quell the demons failed one after another, to the point where everyone had basically resigned themselves to living under the rule of the demons.
It was at that lowest point, when all hope seemed to be lost, that the three heroes emerged – Lei He, Qian Qiqi, and Lan Fangyan.
As the strongest member, and also the one who had brought up the plan in the first place, Lei He naturally took on the role of leader as the party journeyed into the depths of the demon empire to confront the Night Emperor.
But here was where the first discrepancy lay. In the performance, Qian Qiqi was Lei He's lover, while Lan Fangyan was Lei He's best friend. This little detail had not been recorded in the city's history, but it was understandably so as well.
After all, Lan Fangyan and Qian Qiqi had ended up together after the mission, so there was no reason to include something that could raise unnecessary questions about their relationship.
What followed was once again in line with the records.
The Night Emperor proved to be far more formidable than expected. In order to block the demon's ultimate attack and save his friends from imminent death, the leader Lei He was forced to use a forbidden art that sacrificed himself in the process.
Here lay the climax of the performance, delivered to perfection by the actor portraying Lei He.
As Lei He watched the Night Emperor unleash its ultimate attack, pain and determination could be seen in his eyes. And when he opened his mouth to speak his final words, the excited crowd chanted along with him.
"If this is what it takes, then I shall gladly give up my life to protect my friends... my people... my world!"
It was clear that the crowd was enamoured with the performance, as well as the character Lei He. This moment belonged to him. He was the hero of the story, the hero of the city, the hero of the region, and the hero of the people's hearts.
But in stark contrast to the burning excitement of the crowds all around them, Zhao Yunxiao's group silently exchanged complicated glances.
That was because the moment Lei He recited those words from the script, they clearly detected faint energy undulations coming from the pendant that he was wearing. It had only emerged for the slightest of moments before fading away, but it definitely did not escape their notice.
"Is that it?" Gu Qiansi asked.
"Maybe. Maybe not," Zhao Yunxiao was careful not to jump to conclusions.
"Looks like we would need to take a closer look at it then," Gu Qiansi concluded.
"Mm," Zhao Yunxiao nodded. "But let's try to find out more before that."
Enraged by the sacrifice of the one who was their leader, lover and friend, the devastated Lan Fangyan and Qian Qiqi put all of their heart and soul into one final attack that successfully took down the Night Emperor.
This brought them the victory they needed, though this victory undoubtedly came at a great cost.
In fact, the final clash among the three had also resulted in an immense destruction that decimated even the remains of the deceased Lei He. In the end, Lan Fangyan and Qian Qiqi were only able to recover a few of his belongings and the charred skull of the Night Demon, bringing them back to the city as proof of their victory.
While everyone in the region mourned the death of the hero Lei He, they simultaneously celebrated the victory of the returning duo.
To the masses, Lei He was a martyr who deserved to be immortalised in history books. However, Lan Fangyan and Qian Qiqi were still the ones who had truly rescued everyone from the reign of terror under the Night Emperor, essentially granting them completely new lives – lives that were now filled with love and hope instead of fear and death.
The treatment they received from the masses went far beyond mere admiration. It would be far more accurate to describe it as veneration, or perhaps even to the point of worship.
But the duo was not quite done just yet.
To them, taking care of the Night Emperor was just the beginning. Having witnessed just how much trust the masses had entrusted in them after the battle, they could not help but feel a heavy sense of responsibility weighing down upon their shoulders.
As the ones receiving all this love, they felt responsible for ensuring that everyone's lives continue to improve now that they had escaped the influence of the demons.
With that thought in mind, the duo spent countless days and nights working together, brainstorming various ideas and coming up with actionable plans. Things quickly became so busy that they hardly even had time to mourn the death of their comrade Lei He.
Their painstaking efforts did not go unnoticed either.
Supported by the will of the people, Lan Fangyan officially rose to the position of city lord along with the renaming of the city to Demonfall.
And as the duo continued to toil together, they started bonding through both their shared experience in having escaped almost certain death and their shared vision for the masses. Lan Fangyan and Qian Qiqi eventually managed to walk out of the shadow of Lei He's death and became an official couple.
The day they tied the knot was a day of celebration and festivities for the entire region.
As the new heads of the Lan Clan, they took Lei He's disciple, who was also his adopted daughter, under their wing, and even welcomed the birth of a beautiful boy as they started a family of their own.
Unfortunately, not all good people were blessed with a good end.
What came next was something that had been completely left out from the romanticised story that everyone knew. Just as everything seemed to have fallen nicely in place for this altruistic couple, tragedy struck like a venomous cobra pouncing from the shadows.
In what could be considered a freak accident, they were on a simple sightseeing trip around the region when they were unexpectedly assaulted by a horde of powerful monsters. The couple were completely caught off guard, and that was how instincts took over. Without hesitation, they took the rear to allow Lei He's disciple to escape with their kid.
Lei He's disciple barely escaped with the baby boy, but the couple were not nearly as fortunate. Much to everyone's dismay, the heroic couple met their ends in this tragic manner that certainly did not matched what they deserved.
Nevertheless, to honour her contribution in having successfully rescued the bloodline of the revered Lan Fangyan and Qian Qiqi couple, Lei He's disciple was henceforth referred to as Lady Lei. But even that did not last for long.
Having lost her master and adopted father, Lei He, to the Night Emperor in the recent past, and now forced to watch her two new mentors sacrifice themselves to hordes of monsters just to guarantee her safe escape, Lady Lei eventually took her own life out of guilt as well.
For the main characters of this story, it was a tragedy on every level.
Be it the martyr Lei He, the altruistic heroes Lan Fangyan and Qian Qiqi, the sorrow-stricken Lady Lei, or the innocent baby who lost all his loved ones overnight, none of them got to enjoy the ending that they so deserved.
As the curtains fell on this splendidly delivered performance, teardrops began streaming down the cheeks for many of those among the audiences. Nevertheless, applause rang through the open plaza as the actors were honoured with a standing ovation.
Zhao Yunxiao's group clapped along as well, having thoroughly enjoyed the performance. However, their minds were already on something else.
"Let's go," Zhao Yunxiao said. "It's time to meet the crew and hear out their side of the story."