Raccoon Dog Dream Theatre

The investigation into the unusual spatial landing points in Cloud Fang City is ongoing.

However, the intensity has clearly decreased.

Guards still patrol the streets, occasionally stopping pedestrians to ask them a few questions.

But these guys had no hope of seeing through Su Ming's upgraded disguise.

The group bought some dinner along the way and then arrived at a house in the central district that was listed for sale.

It was none other than the small open-air theater that Su Ming had passed by the day before yesterday.

It was daytime, Yuye could clearly see the faded words on the doorplate.

This is the Raccoon Dog Dream Theater.

"Mr. Graves, are you interested in it?" Yuye asked.

"Right."

Su Ming walked in, passed through the courtyard which served as the audience seating, and arrived at the inner row of houses.

Upon closer inspection, it became apparent that the house was considerably larger than it appeared from the outside. Although the exterior paint was peeling and some weeds grew in the corners, the main structure was still relatively intact and did not appear excessively dilapidated. There were seven or eight rooms on the first floor, with a total area of approximately two hundred square meters.

The room was crammed with dilapidated tables and chairs, a large number of old costumes, and props that could be identified by their outlines as being used for performances or set design.

Everything was covered in dust.

The second floor has more rooms, but they are smaller in size, and are clearly intended for residential use.

Further up, there's a half-floor attic and a small rooftop terrace.

Su Ming and Yise looked around and found that the house was actually in good condition; it didn't leak or get damp.

There is also a well in the courtyard, and the building also has a separate toilet and bathhouse with complete drainage facilities.

I tried it Yugan and found that the well works.

He fetched a bucket of water and licked it with his tongue.

"The water is sweet, you can drink it!" Yugan told everyone.

Su Ming nodded.

Based on what he had seen and heard over the past few days, this place was considered to have pretty good living conditions. "Such a large area for only 100 gold coins!" Yise exclaimed in amazement. "Are properties in Cloud Fang City really this cheap?"

****

I went to the sign for Yuye and read more information.

"The theater owner lives nearby; I'll go and call him over."

Su Ming nodded.

The Yuye nimbly darted out, flicked its tail, and disappeared through the crack in the side door.

Having had a good meal for several days, the half-cat is now beginning to fully demonstrate its agility.

Before long, Yuye returned, followed by a half-raccoon man with half-white hair and beard.

The person opposite came in very enthusiastically to greet us, their face beaming with smiles.

"Hello!"

"I am the owner of the Raccoon Dog Dream Theatre, Hebana."

Su Ming knew at a glance that it was rare for the other party to see an interested buyer come to their door. "My name is Graves," Su Ming introduced himself.

He shook his head.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Hebana."

"I don't plan to buy this place; I'll lease it for three months."

The light in the Hebana's eyes immediately faded.

"You just want to rent it?"

He was clearly in a dilemma.

Soon, the Hebana returned to the Su Ming.

"Sir, I'm only interested in selling the Raccoon Dog Dream Theatre."

"The income from renting it out is not enough to meet my current needs."

****

Using Mental Link, Yuye began transmitting a message to Su Ming: "[When I went there, I also inquired around the area.]"

[This old man, Hebana," is in urgent need of a large sum of money lately, for some reason.]

[If you negotiate the price down, you can definitely close the deal at a very low price.]

Yise was also very interested in the house.

The living facilities are complete, and the structure is relatively independent.

It's also spacious, making it suitable for them to hide all sorts of inconvenient things, and its security is guaranteed.

[Su Ming, we have more than enough money, right?]

She asked, puzzled.

Su Ming used the "Cat Suit" teleportation technique, and still had a considerable amount of alchemical materials left after dismantling it.

A small amount of Celestial Gold would be enough to pay for the house.

Su Ming gently shook his head.

[Buying a property requires completing certain procedures.] (This appears to be a website's first post titled "deqixs.", which is likely an error and doesn't need to be translated.)

[This will also lead to interactions with the management of Cloud Fang City.]

[This adds to the risks we are exposed to.]

[I see.] Yise understood.

For safety reasons, the only option is to use the rental agreement to put the original homeowner in the lead.

****

But Su Ming didn't leave; he had another idea.

"Mr. Hebana, I have a new rental option."

"Shall we talk?"

The Hebana did not refuse.

He led the group upstairs to the first room on the second floor.

Pushing open the door, I entered an office. It had clearly been cleaned and was fairly tidy, though the room had a strong smell of paper and ink.

Su Ming looked around and found various documents on two large bookshelves against the wall.

Upon closer inspection, he discovered that the contents mainly consisted of various scripts and screenplays.

Su Ming sat down in the chair.

"Mr. Hebana, my idea is to use the Raccoon Dog Dream Theatre as collateral for the loan."

"For a period of three months."

"The loan interest is for leasing this place to me."

The Hebana's mind raced; this was indeed a topic for discussion.

The other party clearly intended to get three months of usage rights for free, but he also urgently needed the funds.

"How much are you planning to lend me?" Hebana asked.

He was clearly not naive enough to think that Su Ming would give him a hundred gold coins.

Su Ming held up three fingers. "Thirty gold coins."

****

The Hebana immediately became somewhat angry.

"The price of 100 gold coins for the Raccoon Dog Dream Theatre is already a very low price!"

Su Ming said slowly and deliberately.

"But I didn't buy the Raccoon Dog Dream Theatre."

"In terms of renting, based on the current market conditions, this house would be worth at most one gold coin a month in rent."

I'll lend you thirty gold coins, and I'll only charge that much interest each month.

"Isn't that a great deal?"

Hebana pondered in his heart.

Su Ming's words certainly make sense.

But thirty gold coins weren't enough to guarantee he could find and buy that human slave. It's just that the current situation is turbulent, and buyers for real estate are extremely difficult to find.

Moreover, the frequent military deployments by the Plundering Clock suggest that the situation in Cloud Fang City will only worsen.

After hesitating for a long time, Hebana finally gritted his teeth and said.

"Borrow sixty gold coins."

"If you can't pay it back, then this house will be yours."

Su Ming pretended to think about it for a while.

"Can."

"But I want to add conditions."

"Please speak," said the Hebana.

"Let me ask you a question first. Are you the direct operator of the Raccoon Dog Dream Theatre, sir?"

The Hebana nodded.

"I've been running this theater myself for over thirty years. But business has been declining steadily over the years, and we've been losing money."

"It was forced to close down two years ago."

Su Ming made his request.

"Then, on my condition, you must reorganize the Raccoon Dog Dream Troupe and hold a performance here."

The Hebana's eyes widened.

"No, there are absolutely no audience members watching the show now!"

Su Ming glanced at the bookshelf, where most of the scripts were from the "Cangxiao Dynasty" series.

The Cangxiao Dynasty was the most prosperous period in Water Chestnut Island's history.

At that time, the orc kingdom was economically developed, prosperous, and culturally flourishing.

Countless people cherish the memory of that golden age.

All the stories and legends about it are popular among orcs, and naturally, they are a staple of theater performances.

Su Ming reached out and pulled Yise over. "To be honest..."

My troublesome younger sister's childhood dream has been to perform on stage.

Su Ming began to make up a story:

Their family ran a small business in Lingbei Port. They lived a comfortable life, but they weren't exactly wealthy. The two siblings had to help with chores from a young age, doing everything from accounting and running errands to receiving goods.

Therefore, the younger sister's "unorthodox" dream of performing on stage was naturally met with strict opposition from her parents.

She even ran away from home because of this.

However, due to the recent blockade of Water Chestnut Island, port operations have come to a standstill, leaving the whole family with nothing to do.

"So you brought her here now to fulfill her dream?" Hebana asked in surprise.

"Anyway, just call back those veteran actors, have them rehearse, and then put on a few shows for free," Su Ming said.

"This shouldn't cost much."

"For us, it's better than watching our little sister cry at home every day."

Hebana was immediately relieved. He himself had dreamed of performing on stage since childhood.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have entered this industry, and he certainly wouldn't have stubbornly persisted in running the Raccoon Dog Dream Theatre for so long after his income became insufficient.

Moreover, in his years in the industry, he has seen far too many half-orc girls with dreams of performing.

"I see."

The Hebana understood.

"So your additional condition is that I find some actors for you, then accompany your sister in rehearsals, and finally hold a few free public performances?"

This is standard practice: investors tailor-make projects for actors and buy resources for them to perform.

"That's how it is." Su Ming nodded. "Anyway, it's all to fulfill my sister's wish."

The Hebana didn't really have any objections.

"There's nothing wrong with me."

"But all those set pieces and props need to be repaired."

"And then there are the actors' wages." "How much will that cost?" Su Ming asked.

"That depends on what you're actually performing."

"Hebana replied, but his gaze was fixed on Yise."

The story of "The Cangxiao Dynasty" is extensive and complex. In a normal theater performance, it is usually divided into seven or eight parts, each with many scenes. The total runtime exceeds twenty hours.

Girls who love performing will definitely have something they most want to act in.

They fantasize that they are the glamorous characters on that stage.

She was the center of attention, commanding everything with every gesture, and conquering the audience with her perfect performance and beautiful voice.

****

Hebana is waiting for an answer.

But Yise froze—how could she know what she wanted to act!

She gave Su Ming a subtle glare.

Su Ming casually pulled out a script from the table. The other scripts were old, but this one was new, seemingly recently copied, still bearing the scent of ink.

Hebana tried to stop him, but Su Ming had already laid it all out.

He could only let things take their course.

What am I holding now?

Su Ming pretended to flip through the pages, while simultaneously seeking help through their Mental Link.

Those orcs who were used to extract linguistic knowledge were not educated.

So Su Ming, what does he know about orcish writing!

Yuye pretended to be curious and leaned closer to Su Ming to look through the pages together.

[The cover title is "The Cangxiao Dynasty: Rebirth from the Ashes."]

[Author's signature: Night Song Comes from the West]

She glanced at the script again.

[This script is about the story of the last King Cangxiao the fire.] "Let's act out this 'Rebirth from Fire' episode." Su Ming said directly, completely acting as if he were doing things his own way.

Hebana sighed softly.

"This is a newly completed script; the costumes and sets all need to be redone."

Upon hearing this, Su Ming was secretly delighted.

This is exactly what he wanted!

Otherwise, why would they go to such lengths to purchase various materials in Cloud Fang City?

Su Ming's main purpose in choosing this theater was to provide a legitimate justification for his subsequent actions.

Especially the various devices that are summoned, it's fine if they're placed indoors.

However, items such as satellite antennas and solar panels must be placed outdoors.

Nothing is more suitable for concealment than "oddly shaped stage sets"!

This even includes assigning those orc employees to run errands and gather information.

They were engaged in "espionage" work that even they themselves were unaware of. Su Ming said to Hebana:

"Anyway, none of the old stuff in your warehouse is usable anymore."

If we're going to do something new, let's do something new.

How much will it cost in total?

Hebana did the math.

"If you're careful, it'll be about twenty or thirty gold coins."

****

Su Ming looked troubled.

Thirty gold coins, given his fabricated identity and background, are by no means a small sum!

This time, Yise was deeply moved.

She moved closer to Su Ming, grabbed his arms with both hands, and shook them back and forth.

"Brother, please say yes!" "This is my only dream."

As Yise moved, her cat ears and tail swayed very naturally.

Truly Master Rank!

For a fleeting moment, Su Ming even had the urge to press the tip button.

He put on an air of helplessness.

He even reached out and ruffled Yise's hair, just like a doting older brother.

"Okay, okay."

"I'll use my own savings to cover it for you, okay?"

The Hebana breathed a sigh of relief.

"Then, Mr. Graves, and this one—"

"Yuumi." This Yise the name Su Ming had made up for her.

"So, Miss Yuumi, is this deal settled?" Su Ming nodded.

"You draft the contract."

Hebana took out some paper and began writing down the terms that had just been agreed upon.

Su Ming continued her performance.

He began to criticize Yise:

"I've gone to great lengths to satisfy you this time."

"If no one comes to watch the performance, or if the audience boos, you're not allowed to cry!"

Yise pouted.

"My performance is amazing, so no one will be watching!"

Su Ming looked at him with disbelief.

"In short, after this, no more trouble is allowed to be caused over this."

Yise howled at Su Ming and bared its teeth, looking just like a fierce little wolf cub. Su Ming's expression immediately froze.

[I said, Yise, you're a half-cat!] he quickly reminded him.

Yise covered her face.

[... It's all because of the half-dog's memories...]

"[This is one of the side effects I was talking about.]" Jinxiu said.

The Hebana seemed quite satisfied.

"Indeed, Miss Yuumi's movements are very much like a werewolf."

He guessed.

"So you're planning to play the role of Princess Aivila in the last Cangxiao Dynasty?"

Yuye, out of Hebana's sight, made a "correct" gesture.

"Certainly!"

Yise wore a smug expression. "I told you I was talented!"