A Pawn's Passage-Chapter 1322: Sophia and Audrey

White Avenue in the Central District was renowned for housing dozens of theaters. Thus, it was also proudly referred to as the Hall of Art. Among these theaters, the Magellan Theatre stood out as the finest, attracting the most famous performers from across the Northern New Continent and even the Western Continent. Audrey Ale, celebrated as the Nightingale, was the very best among them.

Strauni only managed to get two tickets to this performance because he was a councilman. If Qi Xuansu had been alone, then it would have been almost impossible for him to enter the Magellan Theatre.

Tonight’s performance at the Magellan Theatre was titled “The Demon Hunter,” a classic play that had been popular in the Old Continent for decades. In the past, chivalric literature had flourished there—knights rescuing princesses, pledging loyalty to their beloved, and dueling for love. In truth, the primary audience for such literature had always been the lofty noblewomen of high society. It even romanticized the knightly class to a certain degree.

However, “The Demon Hunter” focused on the common folk. The protagonist was not a knight but a demon hunter who was feared and despised by society. He was considered a freak, hunting monsters for payment and wandering the world without a home.

The New Continent had no true knights, only adventurers and gold prospectors. Many even dreamed of earning enough money to return to their homes in the Old Continent. Due to this, a story like “The Demon Hunter” that was centered on people of the lower class resonated far more strongly with audiences and became immensely popular.

In the upcoming performance, Audrey Ale would play the demon hunter’s daughter, Swallow, a girl who longed for freedom. The story itself followed the demon hunter’s journey to find his daughter. Both father and daughter had long monologues, making the roles a true test of the performers’ skills.

The story of “The Demon Hunter” had long been known by everyone, yet audiences were clearly drawn by the personal charm of Audrey Ale.

At 7:30 PM, Qi Xuansu and Strauni entered the gates of the Magellan Theatre. Qi Xuansu himself was rather indifferent, since he was not particularly interested in theater. What mattered was that Strauni had revealed an important piece of information. The Chairman of the City Council would also be attending Audrey’s performance tonight.

Leopold was merely a strong contender for the position of Chairman. The City Council’s Chairman turned out to be a woman. This was one of St. York’s peculiarities. Although female citizens had no voting rights, the Chairman was a woman.

Her name was Sophia August, born into a noble family of the Old Continent. In her youth she traveled through many countries of the Old Continent. Later, she married and moved to the New Continent. After her husband’s death, she inherited his seat in the council.

In a world dominated by men, a woman rising to power had to deal with men. The Chairman’s rise consisted of fairly “standard” maneuvers. She first gained the support and approval of the cardinals and used her charms to turn young, talented men into her devoted followers. Combined with a vision and boldness that rivaled any man’s, she accumulated a large number of supporters and eventually ascended to the position of Chairman.

Rumor had it that Sophia maintained several lovers. Their identities and status varied greatly—from senior councilmen and cardinal bishops to high-ranking Enforcers. Through these lovers, she supposedly wove an intricate network of power to consolidate her position.

All these men were willing to share her with others because this had been a long-standing custom of Western nobility.

The Patriarch paid little attention to such minor matters, much like Great Sage Lan showing little concern for what the Wang family might do. The Patriarch did not even ask about the explosion in the Lower District, as if nothing had happened.

This system was completely different from the Daoist Order. Within the Daoist Order, female Daoists might occasionally rise to power through their lovers, but they could never reach very high positions that way. Moreover, the Daoist Order’s extremely high moral standards meant that such maneuvering could never be openly acknowledged. If even the slightest clue were discovered, it could topple everything. The higher one’s position, the more eyes watched, and the harder it became to hide.

Shi Bingyun, who was widely criticized, had merely changed partners several times, at most transitioning seamlessly from one relationship to another. She had not even reached the point of maintaining several men simultaneously. Yet she still lost her position as Omniscient Sage. Had she gone any further, she likely would have been stripped of everything.

There were even rumors that Sophia had given birth to a lover’s child.

In short, as a conservative, Qi Xuansu deeply despised this kind of decadence that did not even bother with appearances.

Even so, Qi Xuansu could not help but feel curious. What kind of person was this Chairman? Under her leadership, what stance did the City Council take toward the current situation?

Not long after Qi Xuansu and Strauni took their seats, another group approached. At the center was a woman in an evening gown, surrounded like the moon among stars. Her hair was elegantly pinned up, and she held a luxurious folding fan in her hand.

Strauni whispered, “That’s Chairman August, though she prefers we call her Chairman Sophia.”

Qi Xuansu nodded slightly and only glanced once. Although he could see only her profile, it was clear that the Chairman was just as beautiful, if not more, than Caitlin. She even had a graceful charm about her. Otherwise, she could never have gathered so many devoted admirers.

Not long after the Chairman and her entourage entered, the curtain on the stage rose. Miss Audrey, known as the Nightingale, finally appeared.

Among all the women Qi Xuansu had seen since arriving in the New Continent, the most striking were undoubtedly Sophia and Audrey.

However, the two had completely different styles, each with their own unique charm.

Sophia was more mature, possessing the elegance and composure of a widow, along with the authority befitting a Chairman. She was like a noble lady who had stepped out of an epic.

On the other hand, Audrey had a girlish quality. She was lively and bright, with innocent and carefree eyes. Whether it was genuine or carefully cultivated, these qualities easily stirred men’s hearts. She was like a girl who had stepped out of a fairy tale.

Qi Xuansu was not sure whether it was his imagination, but when Audrey stepped onto the stage, she seemed to glance in his direction. He could not tell whether Audrey had simply glanced at him by chance or whether she had seen through his disguise. If it were the latter, then he would have to be extra cautious.

In truth, the one Qi Xuansu had been most wary of was Chairman Sophia. Someone capable of overpowering Leopold must surely possess considerable cultivation. Yet unexpectedly, there had been nothing unusual about Sophia, while Audrey was the one who had surprised him.

Thinking this, Qi Xuansu had already lost interest in the play itself and began reconsidering the best possible route of retreat.

......

Meanwhile, Little Yin continued wandering Jianghu. She had already crossed into the territory of some unknown country, simply following her instincts wherever they led. 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

Along the way, she had long lost any enthusiasm for playing the hero. Instead, she had completely let herself loose, doing whatever she pleased.

Without Qi Xuansu and Zhang Yuelu restraining her, Little Yin stirred up chaos. She turned Nanyang upside down, which meant the one most affected by her antics was the Heavenly Court.

The Heavenly Court was simply unlucky to encounter this little demon. Those below could not do anything about it, so they could only send reports to their higher-ups.

Liu Gui knew Little Yin’s identity and hoped to use the Poluo Daoist Mansion as outside support in his struggle against Wu Guangbi. Thus, he did not want to offend Qi Xuansu and Zhang Yuelu over such a trivial matter and ordered his subordinates not to interfere.

At this time, Wu Guangbi had already recovered from his injuries and was locked in a fierce rivalry with Liu Gui. Having suffered greatly at the hands of Qi Xuansu and Zhang Yuelu previously, he was naturally less restrained than Liu Gui. Thus, he secretly ordered his subordinates to capture Little Yin.

Wu Guangbi did not capture Little Yin personally because he was much too senior compared to her. In terms of generational rank, she was almost like a granddaughter to him. So if word got out that he had fought a child, his reputation would suffer greatly.