The Freak Show Foreman

It was one of the long-standing controversies in the entertainment industry.

It hadn’t been warmly welcomed by people on the positive side.

It was notorious for exploiting performers and ruining shows.

"If admission is free, the performance can only be of low quality!" shouted an old magician as he rose from his seat.

A middle-aged acrobat sitting at the table across from him slapped the table with his palm, echoing his words.

"That’s right! Excessive discounts diminish the value of the performance!"

Those critical of free admission were mostly older individuals.

Most of them had succumbed to the sweet talk of merchants in their youth and suffered for years.

Entertainers who had honed their skills but were immature in worldly affairs.

Many lacked the ability to understand the rigid clauses in contracts, and some couldn’t even read. They simply signed the contract, lured by the idea that they could earn money while traveling.

That’s how merchants easily attracted the talented performers.

One of the common methods merchants used to exploit them was the ’free admission’ tactic.

At that time, merchants tempted performers with the clause, "A percentage of the admission fees will be paid to the performers." However, when the performers arrived at the market or inn and entered the show, the merchants shamelessly claimed, "Admission prices will be set according to the situation," using it as an excuse to offer free admission.

With no income from admission fees, performers couldn’t settle their payments according to the contract.

By the time they realized they had been deceived, it was already too late. If they refused to perform, merchants threatened them with the contract’s penalty clauses or subtly hinted at gaining no reputation unless they complied.

So many talented individuals had to unfold their skills for free next to the places where merchants sold their goods.

Compensation was meager, limited to a bed, three meals, and occasionally a small amount under the guise of an effort fee.

Considering the profits merchants were making, it was an outrageous exploitation.

If they had allowed proper performances, the artists might have burned their artistic souls for their own improvement.

But the merchants invaded even that territory.

They urged performers to skip the boring parts and focus on the dramatic elements, interfered in scriptwriting, forced unnecessary nudity or action scenes, and insisted on promoting the show by using the names of their flagship products.

Even among the current industry figures, many had traces of their past in their nicknames.

Magician ’Ignite’ derived his name from matches, illusionist ’Bigfoot’ from shoe insoles, and acrobat ’Barikan’ from the product name of grass-cutting scissors.

It wasn’t only the contracting parties that were affected by such tyranny.

Due to them, local playgrounds and theaters also faced financial difficulties.

People didn’t bother looking for a permanent performance venue since they could watch shows for free anywhere.

The exploitation of labor during the Industrial Revolution era, with the development of nitrogen fertilizers and increased agricultural production, explosive population growth, the decline of small-scale farming, and rapid urbanization.

The labor exploitation phenomenon of the Industrial Revolution era, influenced by various complex factors, also affected the entertainment industry.

It was a hungry and tough time for performers.

About 20 years ago, thanks to the Circus Grand Prix, acrobats gathered to share industry conditions, speak out against unfair contracts, and collectively take action, leading to a significant reduction in unfair treatment.

The Grand Prix Circus, in its purest sense, was more of a gathering of performers, singers, clowns, and entertainers than a festival. Given this context, it was natural for older individuals to harbor resentment towards free admission. Even in the present improved situation, prejudices persisted.

They viewed free performances as a system that made it easy for merchants to take advantage, as clear revenue metrics (number of spectators multiplied by admission fees) were not available. In the chaotic marketplace, devoid of curtains and seating, shameful times came to mind when performers resorted to contextless tricks and acts to catch the attention of passersby.

However, the perspectives of young acrobats differed in many ways. The itinerant circus that appeared alongside wandering peddlers was a nostalgic memory from their childhood. In the early days of emerging popular culture, permanent theaters, influenced either by aristocratic or decadent tendencies from entertainment districts, lacked popularity.

Expensive admission fees further heightened these barriers.

On the contrary, free circuses, being held in open spaces, were easily accessible to everyone, featuring entertaining and lively performances. Merchants may have lacked an eye for the artistic quality of the shows, but their commercial acumen was exceptional.

They understood what could attract people, demanded it from performers, and, as a result, the circus gained increasing popularity and development among the masses.

Modern circuses, in the contemporary sense, were born from this evolution. Although industry veterans who worked as court jesters, party entertainers, and actors in operas and theaters enjoyed reminiscing about the past, merchants significantly contributed to the popularization of the circus.

The free circus remembered by young acrobats was precisely that. When they gathered and shared stories, they naturally discussed the talents that impressed them in their childhood, leading them to idolize the circus.

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Anecdotes like purchasing magic vinegar from peddlers to become a levitation artist or accidentally setting their homes on fire while secretly making fireworks to mimic a fire-eater were common topics in their conversations.

Another notable difference between young acrobats and their elder peers was the environment during their debut in the industry. Around the time they began learning their skills, the treatment of acrobats had significantly improved compared to the past.

Thanks to the Grand Prix Circus, the conditions for acrobats had considerably improved, and after a terror incident at the second Grand Prix Circus that resulted in the death of many veterans, the scarcity of performers led to a significant increase in the value of acrobats. Therefore, the proposed free admission performances usually came with reasonable compensation and conditions.

With such circumstances, the stark difference in opinions on free performances between the two groups was inevitable. While young acrobats experienced less hardship and enjoyed prosperous times, the vague resentment and hostile attitudes from the older acrobats were not progressive.

Bouvalle enjoyed all these discussions. The stories they shared were akin to discussing the history of the windmill itself.

The nobleman who wanted to transform the theatre into a more wholesome art venue, the merchant who sought a revolutionary change in the theater’s revenue structure, and the artist who wanted to pioneer new territories in the performing arts—all three aspirations converged to create this place.

It was needless to explain that each represented the sponsor Lord Mustang, the owner Bouvalle, and the director Maroine. From the moment Bouvalle chose "Free to Enter, Pay to Enjoy" as the test theme, he anticipated all these debates. He had already prepared a detailed explanatory article intertwining the history of cabarets for tomorrow’s newspaper.

If well-promoted, Lord Mustang could shed the stigma of being a procurer accompanying courtesans and emerge as a visionary in the performing arts industry.

To achieve that, calming the immediate turmoil is a priority.

"Selling alcohol openly?"

"Is that entertainment or acrobatics?"

"Kirku is good at scheming."

"This is not a circus!"

"The Grand Prix Circus has also distorted its purpose! Originally, it should work for the rights of performing artists!"

"These darn merchants are using the competition as an excuse to strangle us again!"

The loud voices belonged mainly to the elderly acrobats, who were usually the directors or veterans of a circus troupe, making it difficult for younger acrobats with opposing opinions to freely counter.

Eventually, the commotion subsided when the director, Yug Maroine, appeared. As he stepped onto the stage, he slammed the floor with his cane.

"Silence!"

Wearing round sunglasses, the thin and wiry old man scanned the audience with his gaze, instantly quieting the hall. Maroine’s charisma in the industry was formidable.

"Do you fear me?"

Despite not having a loud voice, each word he spoke had something that resonated with the souls of the people.

"When I became the director of the cabaret, many laughed. The old Maroine, entering and teaching dance and songs to the women who poured me drinks like a ghost. They mocked my challenge. I remember there were a few here too."

Maroine singled out a few people with his cane, and they avoided his gaze with fake coughs.

"But what about it?"

He extended his cane like a sword and shouted, "Did you not see the opening ceremony the day before yesterday? My swan song, ’Quan-Quan.’ Can you call that simply providing entertainment for the women pouring drinks? Ha! If I had yielded to the tastes of the old folks at the Imperial Theater, I could never have created such a thing."

He swept his gaze over the acrobats with his cane.

"What about you? Isn’t your purpose to play and eat with your talents as an accompaniment? Shouting that the free performance is not proper and preparing excuses for defeat? Is what you’re doing really circus? In front of the great Kirku, can you proudly shout, ’I came to dance!’? You bourgeois!"

His words were provocative, yet they kindled a fire in the hearts of the acrobats.

The elderly magician, who was initially against the free performance, was the first to stand up.

"Hey, Maroine! Who are you calling bourgeois! Saying something after secretly talking behind someone’s back!"

A middle-aged acrobat sitting opposite him banged the table with his palm, raising his head.

"I came to dance! Haha, that’s fine. It seems like a joke, but let’s dance together in harmony!"

In this way, one by one, the directors expressed their determination, facing the stage, other tables, and their own members.

"Cock-a-doodle-doo! Let’s go! Haha! Let’s achieve the best performance in this preliminary round!"

Of course, the loudest voice belonged to Minova, the rooster.

He shook his red crest, rallying the members.

There were requests from the surroundings to lower their voices.

The table where the Wonderstein Circus Troupe sat was relatively quiet.

Sven and Yurakne whispered to each other while watching the other circus members, and Ella, observing the situation quietly, spoke quietly to the ringmaster sitting next to her.

"How about it? Are you confident? Just because the members diligently memorized the script doesn’t guarantee they’ll pass, right?"

In response to Ella’s words, Wonderstein nodded confidently, wearing a self-assured smile.

"Hoho, of course."

Ella shook her head in disbelief.

"You’ve never been on stage before, have you?"

"I have."

At his confident attitude, Ella raised an eyebrow, looking skeptical.

"In front of a few people? Maybe a hundred?"

Upon hearing Ella’s words, he grinned and nodded playfully.

"More than that?"

She raised her head, smirking.

"Perhaps 1,000?"

"No."

After taking a moment to exhale, he replied, "30,000."

"Insane. There’s no way there’s a stage that big."

Dismissing him, Ella turned her head abruptly.

This guy is playing with people again.

Watching the next proceedings of the event, she suddenly realized that there was indeed such a place.

The Sky City Hippodrome.

The aerial theater called Wonder Stage, which had collapsed due to a terrorist attack 17 years ago, was now under reconstruction.

She had heard that it could accommodate tens of thousands of people.

No way…

At that moment, Bouvalle called out for each circus to come forward for the draw of the test’s groups.

Finally!

Thoughts about Wonder Stage quickly disappeared from Ella’s mind.

Is it starting?

Wonderstein also stopped reminiscing about the highest viewer count on his Twitch livestream.