Wranglers Troupe

Unlike the surrounding audience, who were either shocked or frightened, Huo An Carlson stared excitedly at the massive screen hanging over the arena.

What he saw was not merely a Magic Shadow trailer. He saw the future of performance art, and his own dream.

As the future heir of the Wranglers Troupe, he had long since grown sick of modern theater.

The short film that had just appeared was completely different.

The people in it did not look like they were acting. It felt as though it had truly happened.

There were no tongue-twisting words, no forced imitation of ancient aristocratic accents, no rigid choreographed movements, no cookie-cutter tabletop sets...

Those actors were actually allowed to speak with accents from different regions during their performances.

In a theater, that would earn them a beating.

Even though he had seen only a fragment, Holy Mountain Journey felt more like real, living people than puppets.

Well, fine, the zombie actors were not exactly alive, but they were still great. They perfectly matched his image of necromancer creations. If real zombies were not like that, then it had to be the necromancer's fault.

Drogo Film Studio.

He remembered the name. How had they filmed images like that?

He had seen Magic Shadow before, those yo-yo short films. Back then, he had already felt that the technology had great potential. He had never expected it to develop so quickly.

Two months ago, he had tried to persuade his father to introduce this technology to the Wranglers Troupe, only to be criticized for indulging in frivolous tricks instead of following the proper path.

No. He had to try again. Wranglers was already last among the city's three major troupes. Many people believed they were unworthy of being mentioned alongside Violet Lily and Swan Castle.

If they did not seize this opportunity, they would never have another chance to turn things around.

With that thought, he no longer intended to watch the rest of the yo-yo competition.

He said to his friend beside him, "Something urgent came up. I have to go."

Before his friend could reply, he bolted toward the arena exit, hailed a carriage, and headed back to Wranglers Theater.

The theater stood beside the Siren River. In its heyday, it had been a place frequented by famous figures from every walk of life, but now it seemed somewhat deserted. It had been a long time since a major hit that brought both fame and profit had been staged there.

"Young master." Seeing Huo An step down from the carriage, the attendant hurriedly bowed.

"Is my father here?"

"In the study."

Taking the stairs two at a time, Huo An rushed upstairs, only to find the study door tightly shut. He knew that meant his father had a guest.

His father's anxious voice came from inside.

"This is already the highest price I can offer. You know the other troupes would never pay this much for the script."

"You really need this script, don't you? Look at your theater. Is your attendance even one-third full these days?"

"This is only a temporary slump, but Wranglers will overcome it. As long as we have your script, we won't forget the help you've given us."

"How about this? I have a better proposal. Transfer the theater to me. You can still perform here, and the script will be free."

"You must be joking."

"Do you think I'm joking?"

"That's impossible. This theater is the life's work I've spent half my life building."

"Then what a pity. I suppose we'll just have to wait until your life's work bleeds dry."

The study door opened, and a lavishly dressed man emerged. When he saw Huo An waiting outside, he even removed his hat in greeting.

Inside the study, his father sat dejectedly in his chair. Huo An had often seen him like this over the past few months.

"Father," Huo An said as he entered the study. "I know how to bring Wranglers Theater back to life."

"Let's hear it." He looked up and forced a terribly stiff smile.

Huo An knew his father had little hope. He simply did not want to embarrass him.

"Do you know Magic Shadow? We should learn to make Magic Shadows. We can start with Holy Mountain Journey. Oh, Holy Mountain Journey is a Magic Shadow that will be released next week. Can you imagine it? I've never seen images so real. Our theater can screen Magic Shadows too..."

His father waved a hand, signaling the excited Huo An to stop for a moment, then took a letter from the desk.

"Take a look."

"What is this?"

"An invitation from Drogo Film Studio."

Huo An opened the letter. It invited every theater in the city to screen Holy Mountain Journey. The earlier a theater joined the partnership, the higher its share of the profits would be.

"Isn't that perfect? They've invited us already, so what are we waiting for? If we're late, we won't get a high share!"

"Don't you understand? This is a declaration of war against the entire theater industry. They're forcing theaters to take sides. Do you think Wranglers can still be accepted by the theater industry if we screen Holy Mountain Journey?"

"They never accepted us in the first place." Huo An's voice cracked with anger.

Wranglers' path to success had not been easy. In the beginning, they scraped by on the streets, performing slapstick shows, and comedy had always sat at the bottom of the industry's hierarchy of contempt.

Only after they became increasingly famous and drew larger and larger audiences were they able to move into a grand theater and become a renowned troupe.

After that, they tried to transition into serious productions, but every attempt ended in failure, sending the troupe into steady decline.

Later, even their specialty, slapstick comedy, could no longer win the audience's favor.

The traditional theater industry had never accepted them. It had merely pinched its nose and acknowledged them while Wranglers was making money, waiting for every chance to kick them while they were down.

"I've worked so hard all these years just to gain the theater industry's recognition. I've gone too far to find the courage to start over."

His father's tone was full of helplessness.

"Then are we just going to sit here and wait to die? The theater can barely stay afloat anymore. Even if Magic Shadow fails, can things get any worse?"

"But so many people in the troupe need to eat. If the theater is used to screen Magic Shadows, what will they do?"

"Make Magic Shadows too! I know the actors in Holy Mountain Journey. They're from the Mixed Beast Troupe. If they can do it, then Wranglers can too."

His father grasped at his graying hair, his expression conflicted.

"Father!" Huo An nearly begged. "If you were younger, would you be this timid and hesitant?"

A carriage bearing the Wranglers Troupe emblem traveled along Cornflower Street.

The plaza on the north side of the street had already been set up with a screen and rows of seats. It seemed to be another temporary Magic Shadow screening venue.

Huo An could never have imagined that the team behind Holy Mountain Journey was based in a toy store.

When he reached the third floor, only a girl who looked even younger than him came to receive him.

Oh, and a drake.

"Wranglers Theater can screen Holy Mountain Journey, but we have one condition. We want to learn Magic Shadow technology."

"What do you want to use Magic Shadow for?" Aisha asked.

"To make slapstick comedies."

"Do you have a script?"

"Yes." Compared with performing, Huo An was more passionate about writing scripts. He always carried his proudest work with him.

Aisha accepted the script.

Drogo looked it over. To be honest, it was decently structured. Compared with the current style of theatrical writing, it was closer to a film structure.

There was just one thing he could not keep a straight face over. The protagonist, a young food delivery worker whose parents were ordinary farmers, somehow lived alone in a room in the Riverside District, worked six hours a day, and spent the rest of his time reading to better himself.

"Pretty funny."

"Thank you."

"No, I don't mean the content is funny. I mean the script itself is pretty funny."

Huo An was left speechless by the retort, his face turning red at a visible rate.

"How about this? We can teach you Magic Shadow technology. You don't need to pay upfront. Once the work is finished, we'll settle the payment through profit sharing."

"Really?" Huo An was overjoyed.

"But I have a condition too. I remember Wranglers came up through the streets. Go to the Mixed District and perform street slapstick for a month. Then see whether your script can be improved, and after that, we'll discuss Magic Shadow technology."

Huo An nodded. He had no choice.

"But for now, prepare for Holy Mountain Journey's release first."