Chapter 40: Contract
The complaints from the interviewees on stage were met with complete indifference by Klan Roland, who had halted the performance.
He remained fixated on Janna without the slightest distraction.
"I'm truly sorry. I didn't mean to interrupt your performance, but... I lost my composure... Your performance has given me new inspiration. I hope that after I revise the subsequent scenes, you can perform it again in its entirety!"
At this moment, everyone present, including the professional judges from the Nightingale Opera Troupe, no longer viewed Janna as an inexperienced newcomer.
After all, some individuals might be naturally favored by the god of performance.
Her innate acting skills even made many seasoned actors feel ashamed.
For instance, throughout the entire scene, Janna's seamless and fluent control of micro-expressions left many insiders astounded.
"Thank you for your praise. I'm looking forward to the new script."
Wiping away the tears at the corners of her eyes, Janna gradually emerged from the emotional state of her performance.
Upon hearing Klan Roland's somewhat excited remarks, she sincerely offered a wizard's salute to the judges, expressing her gratitude for their repeated commendations.
"It was indeed very impressive. If Director Klan hadn't interrupted, I would have loved to see your entire performance."
Unlike Klan Roland's excitement, Anna Moonshadow, as a fellow performer, remained relatively composed.
"Anna is right; I feel the same way..."
Roman Roland, the troupe leader, also nodded in agreement, still somewhat unsatisfied.
"Ahem... Well then, shall we continue with the rest of the auditions? We can discuss further after the interviews are over."
Seeing that the conversation was dragging on, David Berg, who already considered Janna a sure winner, couldn't help but clear his throat, glancing at his brother to prompt the continuation of the audition process.
"Ah... Yes! Let's have Miss Janna take a rest for now, and we'll proceed with the next audition..."
Receiving his brother's signal, Shuka Berg quickly snapped out of his distraction and resumed his hosting duties.
"Janna, you were amazing! As expected from my student!"
As soon as she sat down, Liji Silks threw herself into Janna's arms with a bear hug, completely ignoring the gazes of those around them.
"I'll be counting on you in the future. After all, in terms of opera performance, what I know is only what you've taught me."
"Of course! But remember, you have to pay me."
"That's a given."
Ruffling Liji Silks' slightly messy red curls, Janna felt genuinely happy as she donned her wizard robe.
After all, if she could secure the role of [Young Natasha] with the Nightingale Opera Troupe, even a short-term contract would offer a considerable reward.
Moreover, [Young Natasha] was the absolute lead in the first act.
Even as a newcomer, the length of the role would earn her a substantial sum.
"But we can't celebrate too early. There are always more talented individuals out there... Perhaps stronger competitors are yet to come."
"More talented individuals... Is that a direct translation from Elvish? It sounds quite profound."
"It's not Elvish, just a saying from my hometown."
"Your hometown? Is it the Lower City District? But I'm also from there, and people don't usually speak so elegantly..."
Listening to Liji Silks' barrage of questions, Janna shook her head without responding.
"You're number fifteen in the first group. There aren't many left... The second group has quite a few young actresses, but none are as attractive as Ollie."
Liji Silks lowered her voice when mentioning the latter part.
"And if they're auditioning for [Nachusa], aren't you nervous?"
"With them?"
Glancing around subtly, Liji Silks confidently whispered to Janna:
"There are a few whose names I can't recall, but I've heard of them. If we talk about skills, they're far behind me, an apprentice in the music department... Of course, if there's any favoritism, just forget I said anything."
Seeing Liji Silks' confident demeanor, Janna nodded in agreement and refocused her attention on the ongoing auditions.
After all, even though she possessed the talents of [Voice of the Heavens] and [Muscle Control], Janna still lacked professional techniques beyond the enhancements from her talents.
For instance, there were many ways to portray pain, each requiring different levels of emotional intensity and facial control.
So, taking this opportunity, Janna planned to use her [Exceptional Memory] talent to observe and remember everyone's performance styles, summarizing them later to accumulate experience.
During the subsequent auditions, a few standout actors emerged, but most competed for specific supporting roles.
Interestingly, after the first group's auditions concluded, eight individuals from the second group, who had been observing, chose to withdraw.
Among the eight were both men and women.
Since they hadn't submitted their application forms, Janna didn't know which roles they intended to audition for.
It wasn't until around 2 PM that the Nightingale Opera Troupe officially announced the end of the auditions.
"Today's audition session has officially concluded. The results will be communicated within two working days... Thank you all for your efforts."
With mixed feelings of joy and disappointment, the auditionees stood up upon hearing Shuka Berg's closing remarks and began to leave the box.
"Janna, are you heading back to the academy later? Want to go together..."
"Miss Janna—"
Just as Liji Silks was about to leave the box with Janna, David Berg approached with a smile, gently calling out to her.
"Looks like I'll be going alone."
Seeing David Berg approaching, Liji Silks shrugged, winked at Janna, and tactfully nodded in David Berg's direction before joining the crowd heading toward the box's exit.
"Take care on your way back."
"You too."
After bidding farewell to Liji Silks, Janna turned to face David Berg with a smile.
"Director David, you were looking for me."
Seeing Janna's usual social smile, David Berg nodded with a smile.
"Director Klan and Troupe Leader Roman would like to meet you, mainly to discuss contract terms... Shall we move to the side lounge to talk?"
"Of course."