Chapter 523 : Blue-Level Mission
Chapter 523: Blue-Level Mission
"Whizz–bang––!"
As the first firework burst across the night sky, the grand Spring Festival Ceremony began as scheduled on May 15th, marking one of the most spectacular celebrations in Dordogne.
As one of Dordogne’s liveliest festivals, this day granted every citizen a full paid holiday. Countless flower floats, overflowing with fresh blossoms, paraded endlessly along the main boulevard, which was strung with colorful lanterns, scattering petals across every corner of the city center.
At the same time, poets and musicians from far and wide gathered near the central fountain, playing cheerful tunes, while children splashed in the water. Their laughter rang through the street like crisp silver bells.
"There’s only one hour left before the performance officially begins."
Glancing at the clock tower on the central avenue, which showed seven o’clock in the evening, Jenny had no interest in the passing floats. She stood outside the Nightingale Opera Troupe, holding a steaming cup of coffee in her hands.
After queuing for nearly five hours the previous afternoon, Jenny finally managed to buy a ticket to the Nightingale Opera Troupe’s premiere. Unfortunately, because of her late position in line, she could only get a regular seat.
"Fortunately, this seat is relatively close to the front. Otherwise, I’d have been so frustrated I could cry."
Having long dreamed of getting a VIP ticket, Jenny had even considered buying from a “scalper,” but since all tickets for the premiere were real-name registered and required in-person purchase, that plan was impossible.
Meanwhile, on the other side, reporters Selene and Matthew, who had also arrived early at the opera house entrance, were busy adjusting their recording equipment.
"Master, is this really okay? These two VIP tickets we bought are way beyond our travel budget."
After placing her adjusted camera back into her bag, Selene brushed her fingers against the two VIP tickets in her pocket and asked Matthew with a trace of unease.
"It’s fine. I’ll cover whatever exceeds the budget."
Hearing Matthew’s casual reply, Selene stopped worrying and turned her eyes toward the fireworks blooming in the night sky.
"The fireworks are really beautiful—"
"So? How do you like the makeup I designed this time? Not bad, right?"
At that moment, inside the backstage dressing room, Janna-Roland, who had been resting with her eyes closed, opened them upon hearing Julie-Anne’s voice. She looked at her reflection in the mirror.
Because stage lighting required heavier makeup, Janna’s look tonight was noticeably more dramatic than during rehearsal. Especially around the eyes—Julie-Anne had truly gone all out.
To emphasize [Isabelle]’s divine aura, Julie-Anne used silver-toned eyeshadow and drew feather-like silver markings around Janna’s eyes with a paint pen.
Moreover, an oval gem, shimmering between silver and gold, was affixed to her forehead, making Janna’s already beautiful features radiate an almost sacred, untouchable majesty.
"It looks great, but for this performance… I don’t need to wear a wig?"
"Originally, yes. But after discussing it with Director David-Berg, we agreed your natural black hair fits [Isabelle] better. After all, in the latter act, [Isabelle] falls and transforms into a Dark Angel."
Hearing that, Janna nodded slightly.
Initially, the character [Isabelle] had been designed to wear silver hair to embody her angelic nature. But while silver hair suited her early appearance, it became inconsistent once she turned into a “Black Angel.”
More importantly, [Isabelle]’s fall marked both the emotional turning point and the climactic moment of the play.
Thus, to let the audience feel her emotional descent more vividly, David-Berg and Julie-Anne decided to keep Janna’s natural black hair, enriching her “angelic” look through other aspects of her makeup.
"And, let me tell you, the gem on your forehead and the facial paint can change colors! When the story reaches Act B’s 『Angel’s Fall』 scene, the stage lighting will automatically shift them to a dark purple hue."
Janna raised an eyebrow in surprise.
"Julie, you’re becoming more and more impressive—you’ve even integrated magical alchemy into makeup design."
"Haha, please, this trick’s old news in Dordogne’s opera circles. I just copied their homework——Oh right, your costume this time is also special."
After finishing the makeup, Julie-Anne took a cream-colored silk robe from the rack, embroidered with green olive leaf patterns and a silver rhinestone belt, simple yet elegant in design.
"This gown was custom-made for you by the Spirit Communication Group. Just like the gem on your forehead, it’ll shift from pale white to jet black under the changing stage lights."
"Really? That’s amazing!"
"Of course! Come on, let’s get you changed."
Saying so, Julie-Anne removed the costume from the hanger, ready to help Janna dress.
Janna cooperated, standing up and taking off her wizard robe, replacing it with the moon-white performance gown crafted by the Spirit Communication Group.
"Janna, you’re practically an angel now!"
"Thank you——"
Ding! Just as Janna was about to reply to Julie-Anne’s exaggerated praise, a crisp system notification suddenly rang in her mind.
【Daily Quest: Resonance of Emotion;
Complete a flawless performance and elicit emotional resonance from the entire audience;
Quest Rewards: 500 Talent EXP, 1500 Skill EXP, and two random rewards.】
"A Blue-Level Mission this time...?"
Seeing the quest panel glowing in blue text, Janna’s eyes flickered with surprise.
Judging by her previous experience, this task should have been Green-Level at most—not Blue.
"Resonance of emotion... So that’s the tricky part this time."
"What’s wrong? Does the costume not fit?"
Seeing Janna dazed in front of the mirror, Julie-Anne asked with concern.
"No, it fits perfectly. I was just... pleasantly surprised."
"I’m glad you like it! I actually gave quite a few design suggestions for this outfit——"
"Miss Janna, it’s time to go on stage. Director David asked me to remind you."
Hearing Vinnie’s voice from outside the door, Julie-Anne quickly straightened up and called back:
"Got it, we’ll be down in a moment."