After chatting with the others outside, Ankh and the others finally returned to the theater.
Truth be told, given Ankh's reputation as a mage and his immense visual appeal, simply removing his mask and putting his face on a poster would have guaranteed a full house for this performance.
He wouldn't even need to act; he could just stand there and drink tea, and tickets would sell out in seconds.
However, the script written by the theater owner, Rabian, was simply too terrible.
The storyline was a convoluted mess of clichés that couldn't attract Ankh at all.
He had absolutely no intention of participating as a main character in such a train wreck.
Being the narrator was his limit.
Moreover, Ankh remembered his "meta-knowledge."
The current story arc should be part of the original timeline's slice-of-life filler, not a main plot point involving dark guilds or demons.
'I don't recall much about this specific event,' Ankh mused as he walked through the stage door.
'But since it was a comedy slice-of-life episode in the anime, presumably nothing major or life-threatening will happen... right?'
By late afternoon, the theater was buzzing.
Thanks to Happy's hard work over the past few days—flying around town being adorable and shoving flyers into people's hands—they had attracted quite a large audience.
The seats were filling up fast.
Well, entertainment options in the world of Earthland were ultimately not as abundant as on Earth.
There was no internet, no smartphones, and no streaming services.
No matter how poorly this specific theater had performed in the past, it remained one of the few places for amusement in Onibus.
It was precisely in this entertainment-scarce world that rare, high-quality models like Ankh and Mirajane became so incredibly popular.
After all, idol performances here weren't like in his previous life where anyone on the street could open an app and call themselves a celebrity.
In this world, to watch top-tier idol performances, one could only use expensive Lacrima crystals or follow national tours—something only the wealthy or truly obsessive fans could afford.
As Ankh looked at the crowd, the gears in his brain began to turn.
'This is an untapped market,' Ankh realized.
He had another idea forming on his mind: using Seram knowledge and the unique magical talents of the guild to develop a new industry.
He could create magical live streaming networks and television stations using projection Lacrima.
'Maybe I could even have Lucy write my autobiography,' Ankh plotted, a grin forming behind his mask.
"Fairy Tail: Developing Culture and Entertainment in the Magic World."
'It would definitely make a fortune! I'll be the media mogul of Fiore!'
Suddenly, a heavy, ancient sigh echoed in his mind.
"I can't believe you came up with this. Is divine talent meant for such trivial things as show business?"
Finally hearing the voice after so long, Ankh chuckled internally.
'We've fought battles half our lives. What's wrong with enjoying ourselves and making some money for once?'
"It's good to relax, I suppose," Seram conceded, his voice rumbling like distant thunder in Ankh's soul.
"But do not lose focus. You need to master the Life God Power quickly. If the balance between the Life and Death divine powers within you remains unstable, it might affect your combat abilities."
Ankh's expression sobered slightly behind his mask.
'Don't worry, I already have a plan for this matter.'
The Life God Power represented Ankh himself, his training of Life God power had reached a bottleneck.
All that was missing now was the right catalyst.
The most crucial opportunity to break through this plateau was to face a genuine, terrifying life-threatening crisis.
He needed to be pushed to the brink of death, forcing his own dormant life force to erupt in a desperate bid to restore himself.
However, having lived comfortably and powerfully for so many years, Ankh naturally hadn't found this opportunity.
He was too strong. Most enemies couldn't even scratch him, let alone kill him.
If the current Fairy Tail world were still in the war-torn era of the first Guild Master Mavis, Ankh power development might have progressed faster.
Peace makes one soft.
Ankh and Seram didn't converse further as the theater lights dimmed, instantly creating a hushed, artistic atmosphere.
The curtain on stage hadn't opened yet.
Behind the heavy velvet drapes, the actors were in position.
Lucy, who had arranged everything as the director and stage manager, looked excited.
She stood in the wings, holding a golden key.
"It's time for the music," Lucy whispered. "Open, Door of the Lyra... Lyra!"
With a flash of warm golden light, a petite, energetic girl appeared. She wore a bonnet and dress, holding a large harp.
"Hello!" Lyra chirped cheerfully, floating in the air. "Lucy! Really now, why haven't you called me out to play for so long?! I've been bored stiff!"
This was the Celestial Spirit of the Lyre, Lyra.
Lucy sighed, rubbing her forehead apologetically. "I'm sorry, Lyra. It's not that I don't want to, it's because of your contract restrictions..."
Ankh, leaning against a prop tree nearby, looked curiously at the musical spirit. "Is Lyra's summoning time very strict? Most spirits seem available whenever."
"Hers is very specific," Lucy explained helplessly while patting the smiling spirit's head. "She can only be summoned three times per month. Specifically: every Wednesday of the second week, and Thursday and Friday of the third week each month. If I miss those days, I can't call her."
After saying this, Lucy looked at Ankh curiously. "What about Ophiuchus? I seem to see her quite often. Does she have restrictions?"
Since Ophiuchus had saved Lucy during the Phantom Lord war, their relationship had become quite good.
Whenever the serpent spirit was in the human world, she would often go find Lucy to hang out, completely forgetting about her master, Ankh.
Since Ankh only had one Celestial Spirit to manage, he answered directly.
"Monday through Saturday, she's free," Ankh shrugged. "And during emergencies on Sundays. Basically, whenever she feels like it."
Lucy nodded thoughtfully. "I see. That's similar to Horologium and Virgo. They are very flexible."
Hearing this, Ankh began to feel some admiration for Lucy.
'With so many Celestial Spirits in her possession,' Ankh thought, 'she still remembers each one's specific times, contract conditions, and personality quirks. She really is a professional Celestial Spirit Mage.'
After their casual chat ended, Lucy began instructing Lyra about the upcoming singing performance.
"Alright, everyone! Places!" Lucy hissed.
Under Lucy's direction, the heavy red curtain gradually opened.
The spotlight hit the center of the stage.
Standing there was Ankh.
He was dressed neatly in formal attire—a crisp tuxedo with tails.
However, to match the "mystery" of the play, he wore a cute, cartoonish mask over his eyes.
In the theater's VIP seats on the second floor, the various guild masters were immediately confused.
Makarov blinked. "Eh? Wasn't this supposed to be a play? Why did Ankh walk out looking like he was about to recite poetry at a funeral?"
Ankh cleared his throat.
He delivered a smooth, stylish, and perfectly enunciated announcement introducing the play. His voice was magnetic, drawing the audience in.
"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to a tale of love, betrayal, and dragons..."
And then... he turned around and decisively exited the stage.
Click, clack, clack.
He was gone.
'That's it?'
The silence in the VIP box was deafening.
The guild master of Quatro Cerberus, Makarov's old friend Goldmine, adjusted his sunglasses and asked puzzledly.
"Makarov... wasn't Ankh supposed to be the main character? I thought he was the star? Why did he leave the stage after saying two sentences?"
Makarov scratched his balding head guiltily.
He stammered for a long time without speaking. "Uhh... well... artistic choice?"
He didn't know either!
With a big star like Ankh available, why weren't these kids using him? It was a waste of talent!
Also sitting in the box was Bob, the Guild Master of Blue Pegasus.
The man covered his chubby face with his hands and wailed disappointedly.
"Oh no! I came specifically to see Ankh-chan this time!" Bob cried, shaking his head. "Who would've thought it'd be like this..."
Bob's guild, Blue Pegasus, was famous for producing handsome men and beautiful women.
Bob had come this time precisely to scout and admire Ankh, the continent-famous male god.
'Who would've thought...' Bob pouted.
'This handsome guy never showed his face the entire time, wore a mask, and left in less than five seconds! What a tease!'
This made Bob, who loved looking at beautiful men, instantly find the play utterly dull.
However, Mirajane, sitting next to Makarov, still smiled gently.
Her eyes were sparkling with stars, completely filtering reality through rose-tinted glasses.
"Master! Look how well Ankh performed!" Mirajane chirped cheerfully, clapping her hands. "His diction was perfect! His posture was sublime! 10 out of 10!"
Makarov: "?"
Goldmine: "?"
Bob: "?"
The three masters looked at her.
They might be old, but they weren't blind yet.
'Where did you see any performance in that? He just walked on and walked off!'
The guild masters could only see the longing for "getting off work" in Ankh's eyes!
Just as the old men were feeling disappointed and considering leaving, a melodious sound began to fill the theater.
Lyra, illuminated by the soft stage lights, sat on a stool. She slightly closed her eyes and plucked the harp in her hands with single-minded devotion.
Her expression was completely focused as she dedicated herself to producing beautiful music.
Truly worthy of being the Lyra Celestial Spirit proficient in instruments—her singing voice and harp performance were flawless.
The notes drifted through the air, giving people a warm, fuzzy feeling inside.
The previously restless audience and the grumpy guild masters gradually calmed down upon hearing this ethereal opening sound.
"Oh... this is nice," Goldmine muttered, relaxing into his chair.
Just for this music alone, this stage play was worth watching.
Accompanied by the melodious singing, the backdrop shifted. From behind the curtain emerged a figure.
It was a prince with a tied-up red ponytail.
He wore a gallant blue uniform with gold epaulets, looking heroic and dashing.
He rested his hand on the hilt of his sword as he handsomely stepped before the audience.
It was Erza Scarlet.
When they saw Erza's appearance in male drag, the audience immediately erupted with waves of infatuated voices, particularly from the female section.
"Oh my god! That prince is so handsome!"
"Yeah! Look at those eyes! I really want to marry him!"
"Is that a girl? I don't care! Her aura is really good!"
Ankh hid at the side of the stage, watching the radiant Erza in male attire command the room.
He couldn't help but chuckle.
'It had to be said,' Ankh thought, 'a girl dressing as a boy often has a much better effect than a boy dressing as a girl.'
Because regardless of whether a girl was pretty or not, dressing as a boy wouldn't be too abrupt—it was seen as "cool" or "dashing."
Some appearance-obsessed girls might even consider them handsome "bishounen" types.
'But if a boy dressed as a girl...' Ankh shuddered, imagining Natsu in a dress.
'No matter how well you dressed up, unless you were a master of disguise, you would likely just be called a pervert.'
'Of course,' Ankh touched his own face thoughtfully.
'With my looks... I might be the exception. But let's not test that theory.'
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