---o---
The next morning, Fu Li was busy from the moment he opened his eyes.
Although he had already told everyone he would be leaving soon, he was still a member of the magic troupe until then. And before his departure, he and Vill-V were preparing to present the most thrilling and stimulating performance of all in ten days' time.
They wanted to put a perfect end to their life in the magic troupe.
And before that conclusion could be written, the construction of the stage naturally required a great deal of effort.
"Yes, yes, that's right. Make the position of that trapdoor a bit more concealed."
"Hmm, Daier, come over here. Are you sure Emily can really fit into this? Let's widen it a bit."
"And Joel, the position of this spotlight is wrong. It needs to be a little lower; otherwise, any audience member on the west side who isn't blind will be able to figure out the trick."
As an experienced and reliable hand, Fu Li worked in full swing with the other magicians, setting up various mechanisms on the stage according to the procedures for all the troupe's acts.
Building the platform was just the first step. For the next few days, they would have to go through constant training and rehearsals to ensure the troupe could provide the audience with a perfect visual experience during the performance.
It was just...
Looking at the blank space in the second-to-last slot on the schedule—the time reserved for his and Vill-V's performance—Fu Li couldn't help but sigh.
Two days had already passed, yet that child still hadn't decided what magic trick she wanted to perform.
But then again, this was a first for Vill-V. It wasn't unacceptable to give her a little more time to prepare.
"Magic, huh... it's really not my area of expertise."
Watching the bustling crowd, Fu Li's thoughts drifted slightly.
Everyone has things they aren't good at. Even he could only perfectly replicate the magic tricks others taught him. When it came to innovation, perhaps only Vill-V was suited for it.
Vill-V's debut magic performance... I'm really looking forward to it...
---o---
At the same time, while Fu Li was thinking about Vill-V, Vill-V herself was in the troupe's warehouse, tying herself up completely.
And what bound her was not tough, coarse nylon rope, but cold, heavy steel.
"Alright, Anna, thanks for your help."
"Um... it's no problem, Vill-V. It is your debut performance, after all."
"That's right. It's just a pity that I can't let Li witness this moment himself, since I want to give him a surprise."
As the future creator of "escapology," the debut trick Vill-V had come up with was, naturally, an escape act.
At this moment, her movements were completely restricted. Seven large locks, all different in style and core mechanism, were fastened to various parts of her body. All Vill-V could use was a single paperclip hidden in her glove.
"Alright, one minute on the clock. Vill-V, are you sure you can do it?"
"Ahem, of course, my lovely spectator. Who do you think I am? I am the greatest magician in this world."
"Tch..."
The barely audible sound came from Anna's lips. She looked at the supremely confident Vill-V, an inexplicable frustration rising in her heart.
Over the past few years, she had always been pestering Fu Li to play, and Fu Li was always by Vill-V's side. Unconsciously, she had become, in the eyes of others, the person who was second-closest to Vill-V.
But the truth was, she had always been jealous of Vill-V, jealous of how close she was to Fu Li.
However, despite her jealousy, and even though she knew she could never defeat Vill-V head-on, she would still choose to compete openly and fairly, without resorting to any underhanded tricks.
Still, since Vill-V had taken the initiative to ask her to be a temporary assistant, and since she had chosen such a difficult challenge for herself, if she ended up making a fool of herself, she couldn't blame Anna for gloating a little.
"Fine." Anna let out a breath, suppressing the frustration in her heart. She said sullenly, "Three... two... one... begin!"
"Excellent! My lovely spectator, please watch closely this unprecedented performance!"
Although Vill-V told her to watch closely, even with Anna's sharp eyes, she could hardly make out Vill-V's movements.
Her hands were clearly bound tightly, but with just a nimble flick of her wrists, like a gentle breeze rustling through leaves, she brushed the keyhole lightly. The lock made a 'click' and sprang open.
In less than five seconds, the lock on her hands, which should have been the most difficult to open, was undone.
Next, with Vill-V's nimble technique, the iron chain around her hands was released, followed by her body, neck, waist, and finally, her legs.
At a jaw-dropping speed, with a full twenty seconds left on the clock, she slipped out of the pile of chains like a slippery fish.
"WTF?! How... how is this possible???"
Anna looked at Vill-V, who was leisurely stretching her body, then looked down at the pocket watch in her hand. A sense of absurd dislocation spread through her heart.
Who am I? Where am I? What am I doing?
She had personally selected the chains and locks binding Vill-V, so no one knew better than her that those were not magic props, but genuine, heavy-duty locks.
And it wasn't as if she hadn't seen similar magic tricks before. But as a magician's daughter, she also knew that the escape artists out there either used props or subtle sleight of hand.
Even the few magicians who used real locks could never undo so many chains in under a minute.
And Vill-V... was only ten years old.
Just as Anna was in a daze, a hand waved in front of her face, followed by Vill-V's slightly amused voice.
"Hey, hey, back to reality. What do you think? Were you stunned by my magic?"
"Yeah... I was. It was pretty stunning..."
Though reluctant, Anna could only nod in admission. Then, she saw Vill-V's brow furrow slightly as she began to pace around the room.
"Is that so? Stunning to this degree already..."
"It's not enough. It has to be more shocking. This level is far from worthy of being called mine and Li's debut performance."
"What should I do..."
Watching Vill-V muttering to herself, Anna's expression was one of bewilderment. She reached out a hand to say something but was cut off by a sudden exclamation.
"Wait, Anna, I've got it!"
"Uh... what did you think of?"
"If magic cannot stun the heart, then it is meaningless!"
"What? Vill-V, what are you going to do?"
While Anna was still stunned, she saw Vill-V dash into the depths of the warehouse and pull out a bolt-action rifle.
The bolt-action rifle was tall, reaching all the way to Vill-V's head. Although it looked somewhat comical, Anna felt a surge of terror in her heart.
Because, at this moment, Vill-V was looking at the rifle and murmuring to herself.
"Chains and locks... they're obsolete. This... is the age of guns and cannons."