The circus show was about to begin, and they bought tickets to enter.
Regular adult tickets cost 5 Lu Coins each, children's tickets cost 2 Lu Coins, and VIP tickets cost 10 Lu Coins.
Kallen bought seven VIP tickets, spending 70 Lu Coins, since VIP tickets offered no children's discount.
Different ticket colors corresponded to different sections. Inside, staff checked tickets and directed people to their sections. The VIP section was directly in front of the stage, in the center.
That was their section, but the tickets had no specific seat numbers. Each section contained benches, and anyone holding a ticket for that section could sit wherever they liked.
Kallen chose the third row. He sat on the far left, with Eunice to his right. Mina and the other three sat in order farther right, while Alfred sat at the far right, beside the aisle.
The music was loud, with a strong beat. A man dressed as a clown stood onstage with a microphone, constantly directing people to their seats.
"Is it too noisy?" Kallen asked Eunice beside him.
"No, I think it's lively. I'm looking forward to it," Eunice said with a smile. "I've never been anywhere this lively before."
Kallen thought that by "lively," Eunice probably meant "down-to-earth."
Finally, once most of the audience had taken their seats, the clown let out a shriek into the microphone, intending to get everyone's attention. Instead, the speakers distorted, blasting out electronic noise.
The VIP seats were right at the front, closest to the speakers. It amounted to a sonic attack.
Kallen took a deep breath and looked at Eunice and the children. Although they were covering their ears, they were still smiling.
"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the Kaqiluo Circus performance tent! Our exciting show is about to begin. First,