Release

The next day.

Ma Linna had just finished enrolling I Nuo at a Magic Academy, then brought I Nuo to the entrance of the White Thorn Flower Theater.

It was nearly noon, and the scene outside the White Thorn Flower Theater was completely different from yesterday. A large number of carriages were lined up along the street in front of the theater.

Young mages dressed in magic robes stood together on the steps outside the White Thorn Flower Theater, waiting for something.

From their attire, Ma Linna also recognized visitors from other countries.

The reason they had gathered here was the enormous poster hanging outside the White Thorn Flower Theater.

"Beauty and the Demon." Ma Linna's gaze was instantly drawn to that poster as well.

This world had no such thing as posters. At most, shops had wooden signboards, but the "signboard" outside the White Thorn Flower Theater had completely shattered Nolan's—and indeed the world's—understanding of what a signboard could be.

Instead of a few simple lines of writing, it displayed a complete image: Beauty and the Demon, dressed in magnificent clothes, dancing gracefully in a resplendent hall. The scene had been perfectly captured on the poster.

From the moment this poster appeared in Nolan, anyone passing the White Thorn Flower Theater had been destined to stop and stare.

Ma Linna was no exception. Filled with curiosity, she took I Nuo up the steps of the White Thorn Flower Theater, only to suddenly realize that the girl embracing the demon in the poster seemed to be I Nuo beside her—or, more precisely, Belle, whom Ma Linna had met in the village.

I Nuo's hair was now silver-white, while Belle's had been flaxen. On top of that, the Belle in the poster had a rather different temperament from I Nuo now...

It had made Ma Linna almost forget that her adopted daughter had once been called Belle.

Just as Ma Linna was about to ask I Nuo about it, two tall women approached them. They were not speaking the Nolan common tongue, but the unique language of Osta in the Frost Country.

When Ma Linna was younger, she had traveled all over the world with her husband, so she understood a little of every nation's language. At that moment, she clearly understood what the two Osta girls were discussing.

"Agatha, stop crying. You killed so many demons when you joined the army back then. Why didn't I ever see you cry?"

"But... but that demon was innocent."

"It's only a stage performance... no, Nolan people seem to call this new form of entertainment a movie."

Ma Linna brushed past the two Osta girls and stopped at the entrance of the White Thorn Flower Theater. The entire entrance had been blocked by the crowd, and even the many attendants trying to maintain order were having no effect at all.

So many people?! Ma Linna had been in business for many years. Back when she had been well-off, she had gone to see stage plays a few times, but never had she encountered visitors crowding an entire theater hall like this.

"Welcome, Madam Ma Linna."

Joshua emerged from the crowd.

This time, Joshua had still underestimated the promotional power of the poster. On Earth, one could spot a poster every few steps; people had long grown accustomed to them, even weary of them aesthetically.

But posters had appeared in this world for the first time. Driven by curiosity, many young mages had been drawn here.

And after watching Beauty and the Demon, their curiosity was thoroughly satisfied, while the emotion and enjoyment brought by the movie itself became something they could talk about with their friends.

One person told a hundred, a hundred told a thousand. In an era when newspapers existed only in their infancy, the best means of promotion was word of mouth.

There had only been a scattered few people in the White Thorn Flower Theater's hall that morning, but by noon, the number of visitors had grown geometrically. Many had watched it once in the morning, then returned with friends to watch it a second time.

"Mr. Joshua... is this what you meant?"

Ma Linna had many questions for Joshua, but she did not know where to begin.

"Just as I told you last night, if you have doubts, watch the entire movie first. Only after you finish it will it be time for us to truly discuss cooperation."

Joshua had an attendant lead Ma Linna and I Nuo to the VIP Seats. Tickets for the entire theater had already sold out, and only the VIP Seats still had places reserved for a select few.

Led by the attendant, Ma Linna made her way to the VIP Seats in the White Thorn Flower Theater's performance hall.

It was a private room located at the very highest point of the performance hall. From the sofa inside, they could clearly see the giant screen in the hall.

"Sit down, I Nuo. For now, all I can do is follow Mr. Joshua's wishes."

Ma Linna noticed her adopted daughter's unease. She patted the seat beside her and used the same comforting tone she had always used with I Nuo to ease her tension.

I Nuo obediently sat on another sofa. The performance hall also fell into darkness, and Ma Linna could hear plenty of quiet murmurs below.

"Why can't I see the stage?"

"That backdrop has been pushed way too far forward..."

"Do you know which troupe is performing?"

"Quiet. This performance doesn't need a troupe."

How could there be a performance without a troupe? The murmurs Ma Linna heard were also the questions in her own heart, but the images that soon appeared on the giant screen answered them.

"Long ago, there was a Demon Prince cursed from birth, with half-human blood flowing through his veins..."

The narration, kindly voiced by a ghost under Bone Duke's command, slowly explained the background of the story. Along with the images on the giant screen, it instantly drew the audience into the world Joshua had created.

Then came a place Ma Linna knew all too well... that small village. The story's heroine, Belle—who was I Nuo sitting beside her—slowly walked out and, through a song with the villagers, told the audience what kind of girl Belle was.

"Could farmers from that village possibly have a daughter that beautiful?"

"Beautiful? I still think Miss Galolie is more captivating..."

The whispers instantly vanished amid Belle and the villagers' song. As the movie progressed, many people had already forgotten to discuss it with their friends.

As the story gradually unfolded, those who believed the "Flower of Falosi" was the most beautiful girl in the world began to waver completely.

The legendary "Flower of Falosi" was indeed breathtakingly beautiful, but she was too distant for everyone present. So distant that no one knew what her true personality was like. The many roles she had played in stage productions had draped her in a mysterious veil, making her seem utterly unattainable.

But Belle was different. Though separated from them by a screen, she felt approachable. She was simply an ordinary girl living in a village... until Belle put on a gorgeous gown and began to dance with the Demon Prince in the hall.

All the young people present who had never fallen in love felt their hearts skip a beat.

"Is that clock named Hua Luo a summoned demon? I want to know how to summon him."

"Hey... that's a demon's servant. Though I'd like that teacup myself."

The women's attention was entirely elsewhere. Another highlight of Beauty and the Demon was, of course, the talking furniture.

Although the movie gave each audience member a different viewing experience, when the final ending arrived, sobs rose throughout the seats.

Joshua sat in another VIP room and watched the audience's reactions below. Their response satisfied him greatly. Beauty and the Demon had undoubtedly succeeded. For the next month, perhaps even the next year, this movie would become a topic of conversation among the people of Nolan!