Chapter 167: Demon in the Bottle – 6
[On the third week of August, on the day of the entrance exam in Lekachep, the 11th exam began at the Rose Windmill Cabaret.
The competition between the 20 circus troupes that participated in the opening ceremony in Luz has all ended.
A total of 10 circus troupes won stars, while the defeated 10 circus troupes went back to the end of the line to wait for a retest.
During this time, as circus troupes from other cities joined, new faces were added to the match schedule here and there. However, there were none between the circus troupes that lost in the first and second weeks.
Two teams faced each other.
It was Pandora Magic Show versus Papal Circus.
The two circus troupes that lost to Silver Veil Circus and Mango Troupe waited nearly three months for another test.
The gamblers in Luz predicted Pandoras overwhelming victory.
There was a simple analysis that receiving two stars was better than receiving one, but considering the theme of the contest, Pandoras side had the upper hand.
The theme of the cabaret exam was profitability.
The key to the exam was who could generate higher revenue.
Pandora, as a venerable classic magic show catering to the affluent, offered delicious food and boasted considerable quality in the souvenirs it sold. Needless to say, their flagship work, the Escape Puzzle series, was of such high quality that it could even appear in upscale auction houses.
Papal Circuss sales strategy was comparatively lacklustre.
They ended up losing to a circus troupe like Mango Troupe with zero stars.
Of course, they had nearly eight weeks of time.
During that time, the strategies of the circus troupes competing in the matches evolved while referring to the previous matches.
In particular, the strategy adopted by Wonderstein in the third week had a significant impact on subsequent matches.
Emphasizing the stardom and personality of acrobats had the power to allow circus troupes with relatively lower skills to make significant profits.
However, it was almost impossible for Papal to use that.
Because of the inherent problems Papal Circus had.
Papal Circuss main acrobatics were ground skills.
Ground skills were acrobatics where performers supported or flung themselves with their bodies, and among the five traditional acrobatics it was the oldest.
As can be inferred from the phrases skilled performer or skilled at something, ground skills could be considered the foundation of all acrobatics.
Papal Circuss ground skills were acknowledged by everyone in the industry to be excellent.
The acrobats mechanically emphasized cooperation among themselves, leaving no room for flexibility.
They moved stiffly like soldiers, and their response to the audiences cheers was relatively low.
Even their attire reinforced such an image.
All of Papals acrobats wore black tights and masks.
No wonder their acrobatics were impressive to experts, but a bit austere for the enjoyment of the general public.
Pandora, on the other hand, captured the audiences hearts with the showmanship and excellent communication skills of Lweeni while maintaining the quality of the performance.
A clear victory for Pandora was heavily predicted unless there were major changes.
Thus began the 11th week of the competition.
Surprisingly, a significant change occurred.
In the final settlement, Papal Circus narrowly surpassed Pandora.
Lweenis health issues resurfaced as a reason for the victory or defeat.
He almost suffered a real accident during the escape show.
Although he escaped safely, he injured his waist and part of his leg in the process.
Of course, if that was the only reason, Pandoras side would not have lost.
There was also a change on Papal Circuss side, which had previously only presented conservative acrobatics.
An acrobat with both star power and character emerged.
Originally, Papal would come out with the director, Hopps, blowing a trumpet and commanding the black-clad lackeys.
However, in this match, they unveiled a new member.
She was a red-haired girl in flamboyant gypsy attire.
She assisted Hopps on stage and even jumped onto the stage to participate in the acrobatics.
It reminded people of Wondersteins strategy.
They also initially had a male director alone on stage but later added a female presenter.
She received significant attention from her first appearance.
Her appearance stood out among the black-clad lackeys.
Papal copied the previous circus troupes strategies and sold her dolls, autographs, and portraits.
It could generate absurd profits compared to the raw material prices.
People wondered where she suddenly came from.
They noticed that the recruitment restrictions had been lifted last week. Perhaps they recruited new talents at that time.
There was speculation about her being there from the start but it was quickly dismissed.
Because all the members of Papal Circus were known to be men.
Papals acrobatics involved a lot of physical contact between members.
And if a woman was among them, there was no way people wouldnt have noticed until now.]
Absolutely not!
Dont add false words.
The protagonist of the article growled.
Her colleagues around Hopps burst into laughter.
Hahaha, indeed, if you only look at the figure, its hard to tell whos a woman. In fact, the chest of Mr. Muscular No. 8 is bigger.
Shut up! Before I rip your mouth off!
The girl flashed her eyes with a curse.
Oops! Scary!
The young member who made the joke stepped back playfully, laughing.
It had been 10 days since the Papal Circus left Luz and arrived in Yeterinpuurk yesterday.
They had finished breakfast and were flipping through the magazine they had just bought, reading the articles.
Among them were reviews of their performance.
The article was focusing on a new emerging acrobat rather than their performance.
Of course, if you were a member of the Papal Circus, you knew that she wasnt a newcomer.
She was the director Hopps blood relative, and they had been together since the circus was founded.
With a more than 20-year age difference between them, they could be considered as a father and son, but they were actually siblings.
And not just ordinary siblings.
Hopps, a graduate of the 7th generation of Lekcahep, joined the circus after graduating from school.
At that time, Lekacheps status was not as high as it is now. Moreover, there were many acrobats, and newcomers were said to have to sweep the floor with a broom for three years.
Originally, Hopps planned to hone his skills there, learn about running the circus, and gradually prepare for his own circus.
But the world changed suddenly.
Just two years after he got a job, a major accident occurred.
It was a terrorist attack at the Sky City Hippodrome.
As a result, many active acrobats lost their lives.
Thanks to that, the world suffered from a shortage of acrobats.
Three years after the terrorist attack, he left the circus earlier than expected to fulfil his dream.
The place he found was his hometown.
It was to inform his family of his survival after a long time.
He didnt have any affection for his father or his remarried mother.
He just imagined that if his father heard about the terrorist attack at the Circus Grand Prix, he would immediately check the list of casualties, and if his name wasnt there, he would rush to the government office to file a missing person report, waiting impatiently for five years until the missing person status turned into a death declaration, and then decided to face his grandmothers inheritance land that was bequeathed to him quickly.
When he opened the door of his house, the first thing he saw was his father, who was about to throw a 4-year-old child at his third wife.
Hopps muttered, recalling the memories of flying through the sky when he was young.
No matter how many times he married, that bastards personality didnt change at all.
He remembered the graduation project his team had made for the Lekachep entrance exam.
It was catching a ball shot from a cannon without being pushed back and forth.
Hopps caught the child flying toward him.
It was slower than the ball flying in the exam, but he rolled back several times.
In the exam, it was enough to catch the ball, but here, he had to protect the child from the impact.
After putting the child down and exchanging harsh curses with his father, they both demonstrated their resilience, and then he went into the room and took the land document.
He found that the child he had just catched was waiting for him at the entrance of the yard.
He was fair-skinned for a boy, and his eyes were fierce for a girl.
If his father hadnt heard curses from this and that woman, he wouldnt have been able to determine whether it was a boy or a girl now.
She approached the man smoking a cigarette and spoke.
What kind of person are you?
An acrobat.
Do you make a lot of money?
I plan to make a lot.
Thats how the conversation ended abruptly.
When he was about to finish smoking his cigarette, she spoke again.
Can I come with you?
Nonsense.
The story flows like this again.
He spat on the ground.
No, I dont give sympathy. Just because I helped you once doesnt mean I have to keep helping you.
I know
The child muttered with a slightly gloomy expression.
Hopps looked away from her.
I grew up taking hits all the time, but look how well I turned out. Shell figure it out.
Shes not the one whos pitiful.
Those seniors and friends who died in terrorist attacks are the real pitiful ones.
He flicked the cigarette butt onto the ground, stamped it out with his foot, and slung the bag over his shoulder.
But there are still suckers out there who keep helping. If that bastard starts causing trouble again after drinking, you know the house across the street where the old man raises pigs? Go there for safety. Despite his scary appearance, hes gentle with kids. He cooks well too. Ill pay off the meal debt I owe the old man on my way out. You can cover with another debt. And
Hopps stopped speaking as he saw the person he was talking to suddenly bend at the waist.
Hey, what are you doing?
He wasnt really asking because he didnt know what that action was.
He couldnt not know what it was.
It was the preparatory move for one of the techniques of ground tricks, the Lightning Spin.
Spinning like a top in the air without touching the ground with hands.
So this is how you do it?
Yeah!
Before he could rush forward, her body spun swiftly through the air.
He frowned for a moment.
He expected to see her fall to the ground with her head or arms hitting the ground.
But what he saw was the child standing upright exactly where she had been.
She wobbled a bit before falling back and bumping her butt.
Oh, damn, it worked fine during practice.
She grumbled while dusting off her butt.
How?
I saw it in a book in the attic. Was it yours?
Hopps remembered that there were a few textbooks left at home during school vacations.
Did that kid see them?
But could someone learn just by looking at them?
Even a four-year-old?
Give me one more chance! I can do it well.
No, Ive seen enough.
Really! During practice
He reached out towards the child who was patting her butt.
She hesitated for a moment before taking his hand and standing up.
Can you leave your mom here?
The child smiled brightly and nodded.
Its okay. Shes not my real mom. My dad remarried a year ago. My real mom ran away.
Ah, she was that womans child.
Come to think of it, you look a bit like her.
Its going to be tougher than you think. Living the life of a drifter.
Harder than now?
She rolled up her sleeve.
There, half of her skin was covered with dark blue and black bruises.
Damn.
Hopps cursed inwardly, but his expression remained stern.
Itll be tougher.
At his words, the child who had been shivering for a moment squared her shoulders, determined.
Still, I want to give it a try. Ill do my best. I wont be a burden.
Alright. First, lets get your signature here.
He took out a piece of paper from his bag.
It was densely written with words and had blank spaces here and there.
Whats this?
A contract.
A contract?
Yeah. I cant stand being disorganized. Dont think of half-heartedly tagging along as somebodys sister. The guardians signature you can get it with a few bucks.
Hopps nodded, remembering the miserable farm life he spent with a stingy old man during his childhood.
Im the employer, Hopps. Thats my name Whats yours?
The redhead girl glanced at the contract.
Though she didnt know what it was, she realized it was some kind of ritual to enter a new world.
She said in a cheerful voice, Karen.
That was how it started thirteen years ago, the journey of the two, at Papal Circus.
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Chapter 166: Demon in the Bottle 5
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