Old Pigeon Cage

Mr. Eve also works as Stage Actor, or is it simply a hobby? Lumian wondered.

His first thought was that Mr. Eve, as the Boss and Landlord of the "Golden Rooster Inn," was certainly well-off, even if he wasn't rich. Moreover, he had other businesses, so it was unlikely that he would take on a part-time role as Stage Actor. However, remembering Mr. Eve's love of money and his stinginess with spending, Lumian couldn't guarantee that the guy wouldn't take on a minor role when he had nothing else to do, since he could at least earn some extra money and not waste his precious time.

After repeatedly confirming that the extra was indeed Mr. Eve, Lumian turned his attention to the title of the poster:

The Woodland Fairy

Judging from the accompanying text, this is a classic play from the Old Dovecage Theater, the kind that is restaged every now and then.

Among them, That One Actor Acting the Woodland Fairy had deep features, a pure yet Fascination temperament, and a pair of Lake-Colored Eyes that were both innocent and holy.

But Lumian didn't find her particularly alluring, because the bracelets, necklaces, and belts made of branches and green leaves she wore, and the laurel wreath adorned with many Flowers on her head, immediately reminded Lumian Ava, Acting the Spring Spirit in her dream, and Suzanne Matisse after letting go of her long turquoise hair.

For him, none of these were pleasant memories, especially the latter, which, once stripped of the perspective derived from the abnormal desires it evoked, could only be described as grotesque and disgusting.

"Charlotte Calvino." After glancing at That One Actor's name, Lumian began searching for other clues on the other posters.

Ultimately, he discovered that Mr. Eve had acted in three plays at the Old Dovecage Theater, but all as minor supporting roles—meaning that if he were absent, someone else could be found to fill in immediately.

Lumian entered the Theater thoughtfully and bought a ticket for 10 Rick.

The Old Dovecage Theater was built in a fairly proper manner. At the very back was a large stage with several Gas Wall Lamp, a thick curtain that had been lifted up, and several Steam- driven machines.

In front of the stage are rows of seats, which rise higher towards the back, arranged in a tiered pattern.

Lumian took his ticket stub, found his seat, and sat down.

The play currently being performed is "The Princess and the Beast," and some of the Actor are dressed quite boldly and somewhat revealingly, perfectly matching the general aesthetic of the Honest Market District.

After watching for a while, Lumian was slightly shocked and thought to himself, "Is this theatrical quality Trier?"

"Are these kinds of theatrical performances relegated to the Honest Market District? Just how good are the Theater in the Opera District?"

He was no stranger to theatrical performances. Although Aurora preferred to stay at home, she would sometimes feel the urge to go out after a while. Sometimes she would borrow a pony from Madame Pualis, sometimes she would chat with the old ladies in Cordou Village, sometimes she would gather the children and tell them stories, and sometimes she would take Lumian to Dalege to see plays, Opera, and Circus performances, or go to the underground book market to find inspiration.

Those theatrical performances were like children playing games compared to the Old Pigeon Cage.

The main Actor on Receptionist all delivered outstanding performances. Their expressions, movements, and lines made it seem as if the characters in the story had truly stepped into this world. Even Lumian, who was originally just conducting an on-site investigation to find the anomaly, became somewhat immersed in their performances and was moved by the beast's inferiority, rage, and Pain, as well as the princess's innocence, kindness, and sorrow.

Any one of those main Actor could fill an entire Theater in Dalege.

When the play ended, Lumian stood up, still feeling quite satisfied, and clapped his hands.

He didn't notice anything wrong with the Actor, nor did he notice anything unusual about the Theater itself when he went to the Washroom during intermissions.

Stepping out of the Old Pigeon Cage, Lumian looked up at the beige Apartment diagonally opposite, confirming that several windows on the sixth floor were illuminated by the yellowish glow of gaslights.

According to Mrs. Fels, Mr. Eve would grow some vegetables on the Rooftop to save money, so Lumian speculated that Mr. Eve's family lived in a room on the top floor of that Apartment, that is, on the sixth floor.

After a brief observation, Lumian's gaze fell on the window with the dimmest light.

Given Mr. Eve's stinginess, he wouldn't be willing to light an extra gas lamp.

Lumian then found a secluded, dark corner, stared at the window, and patiently waited for what might Change.

As time ticked by, a Vagrant passed by, intending to use this sheltered corner as his Bed for the night. However, he soon spotted a figure sitting in the Depths and had no choice but to leave dejectedly.

Such things were commonplace for Lumian, and he remained unmoved, continuing to wait.

Around 11 p. m., the dim light in that window went out.

Nearly fifteen minutes later, Mr. Eve, dressed in a faded dark suit and maroon tweed trousers, appeared at the Apartment door.

He looked around warily, carrying a Carbide Lamp, and followed the shadows along the street to the Underground Trier Entrance, a dozen meters away.

Lumian and the Library seemed to have turned into Statues, watching motionless as Mr. Eve and the light of the Carbide Lamp disappeared there.

A few minutes later, seeing that no Official Beyonder was following Mr. Eve, he stood up, dusted himself off, crossed the Market Avenue, and arrived at the stone steps leading to the Underground, sheltered area above.

Lumian didn't try to track him down. First, he didn't bring any lighting equipment; he only had a few Candle used in Ritual Magic, and their scent was too obvious. Second, he didn't know Mr. Eve's strength, what he was doing in the Underground Trier, or what level of power he would be involved with.

He stepped back a few paces and shrank to the side of a pillar of a building on the street, using the shadow to Concealment.

Another long wait ensued. As midnight approached, the Carbide Lamp, tinged with a bluish light, illuminated the Underground entrance.

Mr. Eve's silhouette then appeared, stretched rather long.

He had just finished climbing the stone steps when Lumian pulled down his Flat Cap, approached Past, and growled:

"Robbery!"

Lumian wanted to test Mr. Eve's strength in this way. If he was very strong, then a robber wouldn't make him take him too seriously and would directly kill him. In that case, Lumian would have a chance and space to escape, at most suffering some injuries and losing some money.

If Mr. Eve does not demonstrate sufficient ability, the robbery will turn into a kidnapping, and Lumian will interrogate the Landlord in some corner of Underground Trier, asking him why he concealed the whereabouts of the previous tenant of room 504 of the "Golden Rooster Inn," and why he went to the Underground in the middle of the night.

Mr. Eve shuddered upon hearing the Vocabulary "robbery".

With considerable resistance and reluctance, he pulled out his brown leather wallet and took out Silver Coin worth one Felkine.

Lumian was suddenly overcome with greed, finding the Angel relief and radiating lines on the Silver Coin incredibly Charm.

He couldn't help but reach out his right hand, take the Silver Coin from Mr. Eve, and then turn and run, like a real robber.

After running five or six steps, Lumian became slightly more aware and noticed something was wrong:

"What kind of robber takes only 1 Felkine Silver Coin and runs away?"

"Wait, why would I steal Silver Coin?"

Lumian suddenly regained consciousness and, relying on the flexibility of a "Dancer," forcibly twisted his body and stopped.

He saw Mr. Eve running wildly as well.

The Landlord of the "Golden Rooster Inn" crossed Market Avenue and rushed into the Old Dovecage Theater.

Lumian, who was about to catch up, immediately slowed down.

Mr. Eve's first reaction after being robbed was neither to flee home nor to seek help from the nearby Market District Police Headquarters; instead, he chose to go to the Old Dovecage Theater across the street from his house!

In his opinion, was there anyone there who could truly protect him? Lumian frowned thoughtfully.

The next second, he turned around, started running, and resumed his Acting as a robber.

He worried that once Mr. Eve found the strongman who could protect him, he would come after him and steal the Silver Coin back.

Given Mr. Eve's stinginess, he is entirely capable of doing such a thing!

While Lumian didn't care about the 1 Felkine Silver Coin, being caught would inevitably expose his identity.

As he ran out of the Market Avenue, he casually tossed the Silver Coin to a Vagrant sleeping on the street.

At the sound of a bell, the Vagrant man opened his eyes and saw a tiny, glittering silver doll lying quietly under the streetlight ahead.

Back on the Messy Street, Lumian took off his Flat Cap and coat, held them in his hands, and resumed his normal walking pace.

After the probing, he was certain that Mr. Eve was unusual, possessing Extraordinary Ability, but seemingly not very good at fighting. Even when faced with an ordinary robber, he chose to "give" a Silver Coin and then run away.

"He suddenly made me want to possess that Silver Coin. My greed was so strong that I completely disregarded my original purpose and almost lost my Rationality..." Lumian recalled the experience.

This feeling was quite familiar to him.

He had similar feelings when facing Suzanne Matisse:

Once, I was consumed by fear; another time, I was Rationality by hatred.

"The way these abilities manifest is somewhat similar... Mr. Eve and Suzanne Matisse have some connection? The fate of the previous tenant in room 504 probably wasn't too good... ' The Woodland Fairy,' leaves, branches, laurel wreath... The Old Dovecage Theater also has some connection to Suzanne Matisse?" Lumian analyzed as he walked back to the "Golden Rooster Inn."

He went into the Underground Bar and saw Charlie holding a beer, singing loudly with several other tenants.

We poor people...

"Sleeping in the attic..."

Seeing Charles return, Charlie broke free from the others' grasp, walked to the bar, and sighed, "You have no idea what happened to me this afternoon. The Hotel Manager drank with me twice, but told me that because of Mrs. Alice's matter, he can't make me a formal Waiter; I can only do the lowest-level General Laborer."

"This is so awful! How could I be so unlucky?"

At this point, Charlie froze, muttering to himself:

"Damn it, damn it..."

After repeating it several times, he looked up in astonishment at Lumian and saw the smile on the other's face.