Chapter 531
The nobles were discussing the latest scandals and royal gossip; the middle class debated the fluctuations in railway stocks and the recent uproar over the repeal of the Corn Laws; the intellectuals engaged in conversations that ranged from the recent performance by Keluola to philosophical musings...
The ladies chatted about the latest fashion trends, while the workers speculated on how many notes the pianist would miss today...
No one knew why they had come here, nor did anyone have an inkling of what would unfold on stage next.
"You actually want to buy that railway stock? You’d be better off looking at the Great Western Railway Company," a nobleman, overhearing the discussion below after the partition of the noble box had been removed, said in a pinched voice. "To be honest, we just closed a big deal recently, and the stock price is bound to rise."
The nobleman seemed to take pleasure in flaunting this information, as if he wanted to spread the news of the impending stock rise as far as possible.
The more retail investors that jumped on board, the better they could sell high.
"Oh? Your Excellency, why have we never heard of any recent developments from the Great Western Railway Company?" a middle-class man in a suit turned to the nobleman and asked.
Others leaned in, eager to hear what was going on.
"Heh..." The nobleman lowered his voice and leaned in, saying, "The Great Western Railway Company just secured a contract to build a railway from Boleun to Ansu..."
A new railway.
And in the rapidly developing city of Boleun.
This could lead to a significant surge.
Many nearby perked up, straining to listen.
"And the most crucial section of land was purchased at a bargain price from that Miss Russell... This railway will face no obstacles and will be operational in no time," the nobleman said, deliberately lowering his voice. "Boleun's gemstone processing is quite impressive... Once the railway is operational, gemstone prices will drop..."
Several people began calculating their investments, and the man who had initially asked the question couldn't help but inquire, "Is it really that easy to acquire the land?"
After all, the most challenging aspect of railway construction is land acquisition. Did they really manage to secure a large noble's land so easily? And at such a low price?
"That seems unlikely... The Russell family has been quite prominent lately," the man shook his head, skeptical. "And that new Prime Minister, Xia'er, seems to have already gotten engaged to Miss Russell."
"Heh, of course, this was all settled before any of that happened," the nobleman scoffed, touching up his makeup with powder. "I was personally involved in the negotiations. Are you questioning me?"
"Not at all..." The middle-aged man glanced around, seemingly embarrassed and eager to change the subject. Soon, he noticed some movement on stage and exclaimed, "Look, the performance is about to start!"
The red curtain slowly drew back, capturing everyone's attention. As they looked up, nearly all the regulars at the Royal Theatre were momentarily taken aback.
There was no set on stage; a young girl stood alone, with a piano beside her.
"Your Excellency?"
"What’s going on here?"
"Is that an actress playing the Prime Minister? She really looks the part."
"Her gaze is quite intimidating..."
Many noticed that the red-haired girl was holding something covered in red cloth, which appeared square and very thin, resembling a picture frame, leaning against the piano.
"Welcome, everyone, to my performance... It’s an honor," Xia'er smiled, her gaze sweeping over the audience, speaking her opening lines with elegance and confidence. "I hope this performance leaves a profound memory in the hearts of all who watch."
"There's not even a soprano; what do you plan to perform here? A solo? Little brat."
Someone in the audience shouted, provoking a wave of laughter.
"Soprano? Of course, we have one; we just need a volunteer from the audience..." Xia'er slowly raised her eyes toward the noble box, lifting her right hand with a smile. "Mr. Francis, would you do me the honor of joining me for this performance?"
Francis Vino-Maier, a name etched in Xia'er’s memory, gradually became clearer amidst the fragmented discussions she had just overheard.
He was one of those who represented the Great Western Railway Company in negotiations with Aivina... causing her quite a bit of trouble and distress.
Xia'er had always remembered this...
But she was not one to hold grudges; in fact, she was willing to invite him to the "best seat in the house" to experience the performance firsthand.
Francis hesitated for a moment, but instinctively, he stood up.
He locked eyes with the girl’s crimson pupils, as if entranced, and made his way through the crowd, climbing onto the stage.
It was only when he stood there that he felt a chill wash over him.
The pink candle stuck to his forehead was dissipating, turning into a pink mist that vanished without a trace, and he stared down at his hands, now clad in white silk gloves.
"Whoa!"
The sensation of what he was wearing startled him, but when he caught sight of the dress he was in, his expression began to twist.
"Who did this?!"
He spun around, meeting the gaze of thousands of eyes upon him.
Those faces were strange, all dressed in bizarre women's clothing, smiling and applauding at him.
It was as if no one found their attire odd; they seemed to think it was perfectly normal.
"Hey!" Francis turned back to Xia'er, trembling as he pointed at her. "What do you want? What have you done?"
"Me?" Xia'er looked at Francis, slowly replying, "I merely invited you to come up and appreciate a painting..."
Xia'er gently raised her hand, pulling away the red cloth that covered the painting.
Francis instinctively looked in the direction where the cloth had been lifted, revealing a crimson vortex encased in a frame before his eyes.
His initial excitement and confusion were abruptly halted, replaced by sheer terror.
The horrifying vortex before him spun slightly, a vivid red being the only splash of color in the otherwise black-and-white canvas.
Those reds were not paint... but countless translucent blood vessels pulsating beneath the canvas, each raised vein seemingly suspended with tiny, sand-like eyeballs, reflecting Francis's own terrified gaze.
In his eyes, it felt as if everything else had faded away, leaving only that blood-red vortex.
In Francis's vision, those blood vessels continued to throb, as if they were absorbing something from the canvas.
Out of the corner of his eye, he thought he saw torrents of blood rushing toward him like a deluge, overwhelming everything in their path, filling him with a chilling sense of suffocation.
And in Xia'er’s eyes, Francis trembled before the painting, his eyes bloodshot, as if he had encountered a demon from the deepest depths of hell.
Xia'er slowly raised her hands in front of her, her right hand resembling a conductor's baton, gently swirling it a few times before lifting it upward.
"Let’s hear a world-shattering high note, Mr. Francis."
Xia'er smiled, using her words to provoke Francis, awakening him.
The moment Francis was roused was the beginning of his collapse.
"Ahhhhhh!!!!"
He screamed at the top of his lungs, his pitch surpassing even some trained sopranos, and as Francis crumbled to the ground, the painting was revealed in its entirety to everyone in the theater.
Just a brief moment of silence.
This place had turned into hell.
Chaos and wails became the main theme, as people frantically tried to escape, trampling over one another... Some who hadn’t seen the painting were terrified and sought to flee, only to find no exits anywhere.
Those people desperately tried to escape to less crowded areas, but as they ran toward the stage, they finally caught sight of the painting and collapsed in despair.
The waves of wailing rose and fell, and the red-haired girl stood on stage, slowly bowing to the audience before sitting at the piano and lifting the lid.
No one could resist the chilling "melody" that enveloped them; people began to go mad under the painting's influence, their eyes filled with hallucinations, which drove them to bite and curse at one another.
It was time to test the fruits of their learning.
The girl’s hands fell onto the piano keys, gently pressing down, and a soft piano melody began to play, contrasting sharply with the bloody scene unfolding around her.
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