Guide

Promoting video games in this world was also part of Joshua's plan, but the system he was creating through rune editing was only about twenty percent complete. Trying to make large-scale games based on it would clearly be aiming too high.

So Joshua's original idea had been to make pixel games like Tennis for Two—things such as Super Mario and Castlevania. But the Magic Mechanical Device Helan had created gave Joshua a new plan.

He would make arcade machines.

Aside from the classics on the Famicom, Joshua's earliest exposure to video games had largely come from arcades.

He would make arcade machines specifically for playing Hearthstone, find a way to handle accounts and registration, then place them in bulk inside some tavern. Anyone who wanted to buy more card packs could simply insert coins.

The price would be one gold coin per card pack.

Back when Joshua had first started playing Hearthstone, there had truly been nothing more pleasant than drinking a little liquor while playing a few rounds of Hearthstone.

The plan for a Hearthstone tavern was absolutely feasible. Joshua believed that this simple yet endlessly enjoyable card game would certainly sweep the world.

But before Joshua could begin building his Hearthstone tavern, he faced the awkward problem everyone faced: ...he had no money.

"Miss Helan, just as Ciri said, I'm actually a... cultural worker. I came to this city to visit a theater."

Joshua had discovered that the Demon Prince had never possessed any concept of currency. As the Third Prince, anything Joshua needed in the Demon Realm could simply be taken; there was no need to buy it with money.

But this was the human world. Joshua's status in the Demon Realm was utterly useless here, which was why he had fallen into the predicament of being penniless.

No one in the world would starve to death merely from being poor. The foundation of investment was capital, and Joshua's "capital" was sitting in his Suitcase.

Joshua was now ready to squeeze every last drop of value from the film Beauty and the Demon.

"A theater... Are you planning to take Ciri onstage?"

Helan's gaze shifted back and forth between Ciri and Joshua. She had watched Ciri grow up, so she knew just how difficult it was for someone with Ciri's competitive nature to come to like a person.

But judging by how Ciri stood beside Joshua and even occasionally edged closer to him, her Younger Sister definitely had feelings for Joshua.

"Not to perform. I merely intend to discuss a small business deal with the theater's owner. Miss Helan, do you know which theater owner in this city has the surname Dalc?"

"Dalc... I think you mean the White Thorn Flower Theater."

Joshua had just explained the value Helan's Magic Mechanical Device could bring her. He had successfully talked Helan into it, persuading her to temporarily agree to work with him.

Besides, Helan did not want her Mother's final work to gather dust in this tiny Alchemy Workshop.

"It isn't far from here. It's just across the river."

Helan pushed open the door of the Alchemy Workshop, ready to serve as their guide.

Across the river was Nolan's bustling district, where several of Nolan's Advanced Magic Academies were located.

Before Joshua arrived, Helan had already planned to close this Alchemy Workshop and return to school to continue her studies. But Joshua's persuasion had allowed Helan to see a glimmer of hope again.

"Please follow me."

Thus, under Helan's guidance, Joshua and Ciri made their way to the bustling district, separated from them by only a river.

Along the way, Helan introduced Joshua to the layout of Nolan.

Nolan, the Magic City, could roughly be divided into two levels: aboveground and underground. The residents aboveground were mainly humans, led by Spellcasters, while the underground residents were Dwarves.

In fact, these Dwarves had been Nolan's original inhabitants. They lived amid the Ancient Civilization Ruins beneath Nolan, and their entire race had dug countless mine tunnels underground in order to explore the ruins.

Not long afterward, humans were drawn to those ruins as well. Though the Dwarves were strong and sturdy, their talent for magic was truly far inferior to that of humans, let alone their ability to decipher the complex runes upon the ruins.

So the Dwarves accepted humanity's help. Over the course of several centuries, human Spellcasters built the most prosperous city in the world atop what had once been a Dwarven fortress.

The Spellcasters' curiosity and humility earned the Dwarves' respect. This friendly relationship had continued to the present day, and one of the members of Nolan's highest authority, the Council of Seven, was a Dwarf.

As Joshua walked along the street, he indeed saw many Dwarves, and quite a few of the shops lining the road had been opened by them.

"This is the White Thorn Flower Theater. It seems no troupe is performing here today."

Helan stopped before an elegant and magnificent building. Compared to the unceasing flow of people around the Shopping Street earlier, the area in front of this theater seemed rather deserted.

"No performance?"

If Joshua had not guessed wrong, this should have been Nolan's liveliest period. The World Expo two months from now had drawn the attention of countless major nations, whose people had begun visiting the city weeks—even months—in advance.

For merchants, this was undoubtedly a time when business opportunities lay everywhere. For theaters, a performance now could truly attract an audience from all over the world.

"If you want to see a performance, sir, go to the Nolan National Theater on Belsyk Street! The Black Swan Troupe from the Country of Art, Falosia, is performing there! You can see Miss Flower of Falosi Galolie there!"

A little boy holding flyers suddenly ran up to Joshua and said.

"The Black Swan Troupe?"

Joshua accepted the flyer the little boy handed him. It appeared to have been written by hand, clearly listing the address of another theater and its performance schedule.

It seemed that rivalry between peers existed in every era.

Just as Joshua was about to ask about the troupe in more detail, the little boy took his flyers and ran into the crowd on the other side, continuing his promotional work.

Joshua abandoned the idea of chasing after him to ask. Carrying his Suitcase, he quickly climbed the steps of the White Thorn Flower Theater.

It was very quiet. When Joshua entered the theater, its interior was lavishly decorated and rich with artistic atmosphere, yet the theater lobby itself seemed somewhat empty.

"Sir, I'm sorry... We do not have any productions scheduled at the moment. If you are here to look around, I can show you about."

The theater attendant immediately approached Joshua and greeted him.

"I came here to meet your theater's manager."

Joshua took out Bone Duke's emblem and flipped it between his fingers. Someone unaware of the emblem's origins might have thought Joshua was merely playing with a coin, but the attendant clearly recognized it. His expression became somewhat uneasy and frightened.

"My lord, this way, please..."

The attendant immediately changed the way he addressed Joshua and led him into a concealed corridor on one side of the theater.