CH 11.1

Chapter 11.1 – Wild Rose Theater

Tracy did not doubt it at all: “Then you are indeed younger than them.”

They entered the corner room. Pushing open the door, Shi Yuan saw the bright and shiny costumes crowded together, hanging on the iron bars; from the robes decorated with glass and stones to the gorgeous long skirts, and then to the cranes and robes of the East, they have every color, red, yellow, blue, and green.

Tracy went to the corner and dragged out a large cardboard box with difficulty: “The costumes of the tree demon are here, there are four sets in total, it depends on what kind of tree you want to play.”

“What kind of trees?” Shi Yuan asked.

“Well, we have pine, cypress, maple, and sycamore. It’s not written on the script, you can pick the one you like to audition for,” Tracy said.

Shi Yuan said, “Then I want a cypress tree.”

Tracy pricked up her ears: “Why?”

“Because I like cypress trees,” Shi Yuan replied.

A small cypress tree grew beside the abyss. It was one of the few living creatures that Shi Yuan could see. Their scales and leaves were flat, lush, and green, and they had a unique fragrance.

Shi Yuan’s consciousness was hidden in the black fog. When he couldn’t see Lu Tinghan and felt bored, he would stare at the cypress leaves and watch them tremble in the wind.

Tracy: “Then let me get that set for you.”

Her strength was small, and the tree demon’s clothes were heavier. In the end, Shi Yuan helped her take out the cypress costume.

Compared with other clothes, it was much more cartoony, like a costumed character in an amusement park to cheer children up. The trunk was brown and fluffy, with several twigs extending from the shoulders, covered with emerald green leaves that were lifelike.

Shi Yuan hugged it and walked out of the room with Tracy.

“Your lines are only half a page,” Tracy said. “I can print a copy for you later. When you’re almost on stage, remember to go to the locker room and get dressed.”

“Okay, thank you,” Shi Yuan said.

“You’re welcome,” Tracy smiled. “We are the same.”

She touched her cat’s ears, looked at Shi Yuan’s devil horns again, smiled more happily, and then disappeared briskly at the end of the corridor.

Shi Yuan went back to the waiting room, and after getting the lines, he studied them in silence. After half an hour, the audition started, and the first person stepped on the stage. Shi Yuan went to the dressing room to change into a cypress tree costume, feeling like he was swaying when he walked.

The other door of the waiting room opened to the backstage of the theater. Emma moved a bench and sat backstage, lazily lifting her eyes and looking up at the stage.

Shi Yuan walked over and asked her, “What are you doing?”

“Observing,” Emma answered him slowly. “Observing, understand?”

This word was not unfamiliar to Shi Yuan.

He often observed humans, and when he was in the convoy, everyone around him was observed by him – Old He grabbed the steering wheel and yawned, and he poked his head out from the back seat to look; Wang Yu organized medical equipment, and he squatted next to it to study it; Lu Bafang took a beauty magazine, found a corner, and was planning to savor it, when a wild Shi Yuan suddenly appeared behind him and asked him what he was doing, which scared Lu Bafang to almost fly up.

Shi Yuan said, “Of course, I know what ‘observing’ is.”

Emma: “Then you come and see, what do you think are the personalities of those who are engaged in the assessment?”

Shi Yuan also moved a bench and sat beside her. The crimson curtain was lifted up by a corner, just enough to see the stage.

The first to audition was a blond man. He played the bartender and said in an emotional voice: “Sir, let me buy you two more drinks as a farewell for you. No one comes back from the forest alive, there is a terrible tree demon there!”

Terrible tree demon? Shi Yuan: “……”

There were three people sitting in the front row of the audience.

On the left was the pretty brunette, on the right was the man at the door letting the forms be filled out, and in the middle was a middle-aged man wearing short sleeves, the bulging muscles strained the cuffs as he leaned back like a sturdy lion.

Emma said: “Look, sitting in the middle is the head of the troupe, Wolfgang. They will rate the auditioning actors, and I am observing who is the most amiable.”

“Why are you observing this?” Shi Yuan asked.

“To try to get a high score.” Emma yawned. “Moreover, it’s not a bad thing to know potential colleagues in advance. I have already seen that the man on the right is the most demanding, and the woman is neutral. On the contrary, Wolfgang is the one who is the most amiable, he smiles every time… well, the smile is especially kind.”

So, Shi Yuan and Emma watched together.

The man who played the bartender finished his last line with a powerful voice: “I hope you can kill the terrible tree demon and end this nightmare!”

The woman’s face was expressionless, the man sighed softly, and Wolfgang smiled and nodded straight – he was the most oppressive in terms of body size, and with this smile, the contrast was bewildering, he was like a kind lion.

The second actor came on stage, playing the role of a businessman, rubbing his beard and saying, “Boss, the price really can’t be lower anymore. I’m already trading at a loss!”

The woman was expressionless, the man sighed softly, and Wolfgang nodded.

The third actor played the savior with a noble face: “I am the one who gave you salvation, and I am your light.”

The woman was expressionless, the man sighed softly, and Wolfgang nodded.

The fourth turn was Emma’s, who also played the bartender: “One more glass of wine to your courage, I hope you can return safely.”

The woman was expressionless, the man sighed softly, and Wolfgang nodded.

Shi Yuan was the last to audition. He was wearing a cypress costume and staggered onto the stage.

Standing on the stage, he realized how big the entire performance hall was. Looking far away, countless seats with soft dark-red velvet were arranged in steps, gazing down at him from above, and there was a row of private rooms on the second floor with carved patterns. It must have been luxurious and lively in the past.

The three people in the audience stared straight at him.

The tip of Shi Yuan’s tail curled up.

But after a few days, his fear of people had already eased, he was still scared in his heart, but it was no longer so obvious on the surface.

He took a deep breath and recited the words viciously: “Traveler, you have disturbed the spirits in the woods, today is your time to die!”

“You humans have cities and weapons, but we monsters have a world of our own. You have crossed the line! I will kill you, nourish the ancient trees with your flesh and blood, grind your bones and feed them to the beasts, and then put your soul under the blazing sun for the flames and vultures to gnaw on for a lifetime!”

Everyone: “…”

The woman raised her eyebrows, the man sighed heavily, and Wolfgang shook his head.

The woman said: “This character is the villain and the tone should be more fierce, not like this… like… um…” She was momentarily at a loss for words.

The pale man slapped the table rudely: “Are you here to play cute? This is a monster who kills without blinking. How can a monster talk like this? It wants to kill the hero, torture him to death, and burn him to ashes, instead of sounding like you can be bullied into tears all at once!”

Shi Yuan: “……”

He acted as vicious as he could be.

Shi Yuan asked again, “Then did I fail the audition?”

“Yes,” the man said. “Zero points.”

Shi Yuan was a little sad: “Can I try other roles?”

He promised Xie Qianming, so he wanted to work harder.

“You can’t play other roles either,” the man said bluntly. “You are not suitable for this job, I shouldn’t have asked you to try it.”

“Okay,” Shi Yuan said.

He swayed, ready to go back backstage, but the woman suddenly stopped him: “Wait.”