Compared to previous years, the Red Sparrow Troupe had made a huge profit in just three days.

Lydia, the troupe leader, generously announced that they would only perform one show this morning, allowing everyone to relax. After all, the festive atmosphere made every lively girl a little restless.

Everywhere there were happy voices, and with a bit of money in their pockets, who wouldn't want to go out and buy something they liked?

Inside the tent, a drama was approaching its end. It told the story of a rebellious red-haired female bandit who, in order to save her lover in prison, had to use her wits to fight the evil warden.

The most beautiful actress, Nicole, played the female bandit without question. She wore a small headband made of feathers and cheap gems on her red hair, and her leather armor was covered in shiny sequins.

This attire might make many art connoisseurs think that it lacked taste, but ordinary citizens did not care about such things. As long as the actress could reveal half of her snow-white chest and show her slender legs under her leather skirt, they were satisfied.

The dashing Alana often played male roles, with a tall nose bridge and short hair that fell evenly to his ears. Her handsome appearance and style attract many ladies' screams of admiration.

Of course, the warden was played by Albert. However, his tone sounded too righteous. At the end, when he shouted, "Sinners should go to hell," his righteous words made it seem as if the female bandit was really guilty. Luckily, Nicole quickly improvised and added a line condemning the warden for his hypocrisy and actually planning an evil conspiracy.

This plot twist did not arouse suspicion from the audience, but instead, they thought it was excellent acting. Therefore, when the bad guy was defeated and the separated lovers embraced in the happy ending, the warm applause continued for a long time.

After the performance, Nicole angrily complained to Albert, "Just based on your appearance, the audience will think you're a bad guy. So, you don't need to add any personal style or pay attention to acting."

" I'm sorry," Albert replied as he sorted through the props.

"And also," Nicole extended her arm to show Albert the clear blue bruises on her skin, which were caused by him during a fight scene. "Next time, use a little less force. Do you really not know how strong you are?"

Just then, Lydia walked over and interrupted their conversation. "Nicole, a customer wants to buy you for the night. You can go talk to him yourself."

" For thirty silver coins, I'll agree," Nicole said, then gestured towards Albert with a hooked finger, "Big guy, I'll give you a discount if you want."

"The price is equivalent to my monthly salary, I can't afford it," Albert refused, but his words were misunderstood by the red-haired girl who said unhappily, "Hmph! I won't do it for free!"

"Alright, stop joking around," Lydia said. "Quasimodo, go buy some food and wine. We'll have an extra meal tonight."

Albert agreed and walked out of the camp, so he didn't hear the two girls' playful banter.

"The big guy doesn't seem like a man. I've never seen a guy who hangs around with girls but never takes advantage of them," Nicole whispered in Lydia's ear. "Do you think he might not have that kind of ability?"

"Quasimodo is a gentleman," Lydia replied.

"I've never seen such an ugly gentleman," Nicole carefully examined Lydia, "You're defending him so much, could it be that you've secretly spent time with him in a small tent?"

"You little fox," Lydia chuckled and scolded her. "Get out, the customer is still waiting."

"I see, so older women need a strong body, not a good-looking face," Nicole thought to herself secretly.

Praise the Carnival!

The streets and alleys of Flondeck have become a stage, with costume parades, various performances, and endless food as the theme for the entire week. If you cannot expend your vigorous energy until you are exhausted, then you will be mocked as a fool who does not know how to enjoy life.

The street bull-running event is taking place on Panglo Street in front of the arena. Over a hundred brave challengers have gathered on this narrow, over-a-kilometer-long, stone-paved road.

Although many people die under the bulls' trampling every year, the people of Flondeck never tire of it. According to tradition, if the young men who participate in the bull run do not get hurt, they are considered weaklings who only know how to run away.

The standard for determining the winner is usually the young person with the most scratches on their back, who will receive the title of champion, a large barrel of champagne, and some small gifts provided by sponsors.

The rooms on both sides of the street have long been rented out by clever residents. Every small window with a good view is crowded with people who are afraid to participate but do not want to miss the excitement. Many of them are young people from high society.

There was a small surprise during this year's bull-running activity that added to the fun. Two noble young men took to the streets like knights in order to win the heart of a certain young lady.

"Cole, be careful!" The pretty girl stood in front of the window on the second floor, waving her white gloves. Her expression was both shy and proud, while her female friends accompanying her were jealous and thought, "Why aren't there two brave warriors pursuing me like this?"

" My dear, the championship and honor belong to you," the young man named Cole replied downstairs, smiling proudly at his competitors.

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"Naomi, you are too biased," the other young man exclaimed mournfully. "Please give me some encouragement, or else I would rather die under the bull's hooves later."

This argument that intentionally puts himself in a weak position won the sympathy of Naomi, who kindly called out, "Dylan, you can invite me to dance the first dance at tonight's salon"

Sixteen strong bulls were released from their pens, and the crowd immediately started running. This was a wild celebration on the edge of death, and if one was caught before running into the arena, they would break a few bones at least.

Two legs could never outrun four. Many people saw the sharp bull horns getting closer and closer, and quickly dodged into the doors of the buildings on both sides of the road. The once orderly formation immediately became chaotic, and the audience let out a series of boos.

Two young men who were running for the heart of a beauty were obviously exercising regularly. However, they were caught just a few steps away from the arena gate. Cole turned pale, but he deftly dodged the charge of one of the bulls and took advantage of a gap in the herd to give up and escape to the side of the street.

But Dylan wasn't as lucky. He was not a local and did not know some of the taboos of running with the bulls. After his coat was hooked by a bull horn, the bright red jacket he was wearing underneath excited the bull. He was scraped by the bull horn and rolled around on the ground.

When he got up dizzy and panting, the herd changed its direction and charged toward him.

"God, be careful," people warned, many of them foreseeing a tragic ending and covering their eyes.

Dylan used all his strength to try to escape the trampling of the herd.

He was so scared that he wanted to cry, regretting his reckless decision. Even if Naomi was ten times more beautiful, his life was more important.

It seemed that heaven had mercy on this young man's fate, and a savior descended from the sky.

A strong arm grabbed the bull's horn, stopping the raging bull in its tracks, unable to move forward a single inch. The owner of the arm took a deep breath, forcefully brought the bull down to the ground.

Then he grabbed Dylan's jacket, and threw it in the opposite direction. The herd hesitated and tried to turn around, but instead collided in confusion.

The crowd cheered, but the appearance of this hero wasn't so good-looking. Many guests who had patronized the Red Sparrow Troupe recognized him. He was an employee of the touring troupe.

"Wow, this giant is really strong," everyone whispered to each other.

"My waist..." Dylan lay there unable to move, looking very painful. The person next to him handed him half a glass of beer and fed it to him. After a while, he finally recovered.

"If you're okay, then I should go," Albert said.

"Oh, please wait," Dylan shouted. "If I can't repay my savior, it will bring shame to my reputation."

Naomi appeared out of nowhere, her eyes full of tears. "Dylan, are you okay? You scared me just now."

The arrival of his beloved gave the young man courage again. He stood up, dusted off his clothes and said, " My dear, for you, I'm willing to face any danger."

He held Naomi's hand and refused to let go. The young lady blushed, tacitly accepting his audacious behavior.

It took Dylan a while to remember his savior. He used the tone commonly used by the upper class and said, "Sir, how can I repay you?" He felt his money pouch and suddenly had a good idea. "I have a party tonight. You can attend as my companion."

Albert was ready to leave, but when he saw the family crest embroidered on this man's clothes, he changed his mind.

It was a Golden Sparrow Flower.

"I would be happy to," Albert replied.

" That's great!!" Dylan exclaimed happily. "I'll come to pick you up in the evening. Where do you live...?" He looked at Albert's very ordinary clothes and then said, "You can wait for me at the square on Third Street at six o'clock."

"I'll finish my work first and arrive at the square on time," Albert said.

Naomi secretly said to her new boyfriend, "Why invite him? Just looking at those scars makes me feel scared. Just give him a few gold coins and these country bumpkins will be moved to tears."

"My dear," Dylan was still excited about his good idea. "Have you not grown tired of dancing and chatting? This kind of freak can bring a lot of fun."

Meanwhile, Albert was also thinking that this was a good opportunity for him to get close to the Leinshman family.

Since the God of Revenge had given him the opportunity, he couldn't afford to miss it.

"Many of Master Dachi 's paintings were lost in the war, and we can only infer those great works that we never had a chance to see from their names in books," said the senior appraiser who was invited to lunch with the bank manager.

" That's a pity," Seth sighed, "I wonder if Master Dachi has any particularly famous portrait paintings?"

"Lover" and "Girl" are both Master Daqi's pinnacle works," the appraiser replied.

"Oh, I once heard someone mention that he had painted a portrait of a woman in black, called..." Seth rubbed his forehead, pretending not to remember.

"'Helen'!" the appraiser said. "That's the master's most outstanding work! The model in the painting is said to be Master Daqi's lover in his later years, but there is another saying that the model is actually the master himself. He used his painting brush and superb painting skills to give himself feminine features."

" That's incredible, I wonder which prince or noble currently owns 'Helen.'"

"Sir, it was stolen fifty years ago. The original owner was a prestigious prince, he used various methods but couldn't find it." The appraiser replied. The case was widely circulated, and many people knew about it.

Seth also knew, he just wanted to confirm it.

"If 'Helen' were to appear on the market, it would be worth at least one million. All artists and nobles would go crazy for it. But I think this painting may have already been secretly collected by someone." The appraiser said.

Yes, it was collected in the bank's vault. Seth was overjoyed, he was sure that wastrel wouldn't know the secret behind the sketch, and the one million would belong to him.

But there was still a more critical problem.

"A friend of mine accidentally glued two pieces of artwork together due to poor storage. Is there a way to separate them?" Seth asked.

"Storing art is a skill that not everyone can learn," said the appraiser with disdain. He felt sorry for the manager's words. "Moisture and heat can affect the fragile color pigments, and special agents must be used, along with trained nimble fingers and professional tools to slowly repair them. If one loses focus for even a moment, the painting will be ruined."

"How long does it usually take?"

"It depends on the specific situation. I've dealt with this kind of accident before, and it took me two weeks."

The bank manager thought to himself, "Two weeks? It's too late. The deposit period is ten days, and five days have already passed."

He had intended to take "Helen" out of the frame, but the one million and ten thousand were stuck together like twin brothers.

It wasn't realistic to privately keep both paintings. They were stored in a high-security vault. How could he explain their loss?

The most famous bank on the Golden Road, with the tightest security vault, losing something like this would attract the attention of the police department. As the manager, not only will he ruin his own reputation, but the bank headquarters will also not excuse him.

He didn't want to lose one million and his reputation as a banker.

Seth quickly made a decision, "Since the wastrel thinks the painting is only worth ten thousand, I'll find a reason to buy it back at the original price or even double the price."