Chapter 1441: A Unique Performance
There was no need to confirm every small detail, so Xu Huo didn't press her on what props she had arranged, but Yan Jiayu took the initiative to inform him. "I have a trading item that can exchange one thing for another, so I mixed it in with the performance props and had the maid place it in the castle. I also added a B-grade item. If I'm lucky, I might even trade for an item of the same grade."
Items belonging to the castle couldn't be taken out, but placing things inside the castle didn't seem to violate any rules.
"After the exchange, does your item have to stay behind?" Xu Huo raised an eyebrow.
"Of course," Yan Jiayu said. "The premise of trading one thing for another is equivalent exchange. If the trade succeeds, it doesn't count as theft. Unfortunately, I don't know which room has items, so I had the maid leave it near the banquet hall."
"How long does this item take to activate?" Xu Huo asked.
Yan Jiayu nodded and said matter-of-factly, "When trading one thing for another, of course you have to haggle. Sometimes what you get isn't even an item—it might be an ore of equivalent value."
"But the items I use for trading are usually ones I don't need, so I won't lose out."
"Sometimes there are even pleasant surprises."
The banquet began in the evening. Nobles and officials from Gem City, who had been staying in unknown places, arrived at the castle one after another. The hall was brightly lit, filled with lively cheer. The king, who had "fallen ill from grief" over the stolen gems, finally made an appearance.
He was a particularly melancholic middle-aged man. Even when he smiled, one could sense his low spirits. Guests who came forward to greet him always had to offer a word or two of comfort.
Not long after, the queen appeared, accompanied by the maid Xiao Si. The queen was exceptionally beautiful. When she entered, all eyes in the banquet hall were drawn to her. She merely nodded slightly to the crowd before walking to the king's side, taking his arm, and gently smoothing the furrow between his brows. "Tonight's guests have come for us. Don't let them feel unwelcome."
The king looked at her with a dependent gaze. After a brief speech, he announced the start of the banquet.
The banquet primarily consisted of dancing and casual conversation. After a few dances, Lady Liya stepped forward and announced that she had invited performers from foreign lands for the king and queen.
"It is said that their performance is so masterful that it surpasses any circus that has ever come to Gem City."
"I've seen quite a few circuses," a nobleman interjected. "If it's not novel enough, it won't be worth giving up our dancing to stand here dryly."
The guests laughed in response. Lady Liya covered her lips with a small fan and chuckled as well, then turned her gaze to the queen standing at the front. She bowed and said, "Most honored one in the castle, may the performance begin?"
The queen looked at the king, who raised his hand. Lady Liya turned back, folded her fan, and tapped it lightly against her palm.
Colorful bubbles flew out from one corner of the banquet hall, quickly filling the entire space. The flowing colors and dreamlike bubbles, which floated in the air for a long time without bursting, captivated everyone's attention. Then Yan Jiayu, dressed in a plush toy costume, grabbed a large bubble and hopped into the banquet hall.
This was the opening warm-up. Watching her appear to run through the air while slightly floating, many women cast curious glances her way. Yan Jiayu extended her hand toward a young woman nearby.
"Me?" The woman was slightly surprised, but under everyone's gaze, she reached out. The bubble that had been in Yan Jiayu's hand flew toward her, emitting a soft "pop" as it burst. The splashing foam seemed to carry a dazzling light, forcing people to close their eyes. The next second, the bubble re-formed, enveloping the young noblewoman and gently lifting her into the air.
The bubble wasn't far from the ground, so it didn't feel unsafe. Under Yan Jiayu's guidance, the woman slowly floated out. Along the way, many guests reached out to touch the bubble.
"It really doesn't pop! Amazing!"
"This is real magic!"
The bubble floated to the front of the king and queen before touching the ground. As it burst, the noblewoman bowed to the two of them in a faint glow and then stepped back.
After two more warm-up acts, Yan Jiayu slowly exited the banquet hall, making way for Xu Huo, who had arrived wearing a mask.
By then, the bubbles in the hall were gradually bursting. Amid the occasional flashes of light, Xu Huo shifted his position and said, "In my childhood, I once dreamwalked into another realm. There, giant trees grew tall enough to reach the clouds, and the mountains were covered in delicious fruits larger than a human head. Magical plant seeds could grow taller than a person overnight. Animals could speak and would actively help humans in trouble, trading fruits they picked from the mountains for the everyday food humans ate."
With Yan Jiayu's cooperation, several mutated plants rapidly grew along the walls of the banquet hall. Within just a few breaths, they grew, bloomed, and quickly withered.
Xu Huo continued, "The sky there was often multicolored. Under the scorching sun, it was red. During light wind and drizzle, it was green. When thunder and lightning struck, it turned purple. I walked under that sky for three days and three nights. The road beneath my feet was sometimes covered in lush grass, sometimes frozen with frost. At times, I could build a snowman on the left, while on the right, it was the perfect season for farming..."
"Such a wondrous place made me reluctant to leave. I planned to stay there for a long time, but soon a mysterious giant appeared. He told me that was not my homeland and urged me to leave quickly."
"I begged him to tell me how to return to that mysterious place, but the giant only said that every person could go there once in their lifetime. I had already been, so I could never enter again."
The listeners in the banquet hall sighed with regret at Xu Huo's disappointed tone, but they soon perked up when he said, "However, the giant took pity on me because I was a child, so he taught me three magic tricks. The first was flying."
As he spoke, he teleported to the side of the banquet hall door and slowly rose into the air, ascending toward the magnificent ceiling of the hall.
Amid gasps of surprise, he took a prop borrowed from Yan Jiayu and blew toward the banquet hall. A faint white mist curled out from the small horn-shaped opening, quickly covering the entire hall, making everyone feel as if they were among the clouds.
"I want to fly too! I want to fly too!"
With the floating bubbles from earlier, some girls couldn't help stepping forward. Xu Huo didn't come down. Instead, he used his cloak to wrap around the skirts of two girls from a distance. With a lift of his hand, he pulled them into the air.
The two floated lightly in the air, able to change their postures and movements freely, as if they were truly flying. During this time, another girl reached out to touch them. To her surprise, the moment she grabbed hold, she was also lifted off the ground—though only by a few inches.
Several girls held hands and danced through the banquet hall like spirits. This scene earned enthusiastic applause.
(Chapter End)