Here we go again, folks.

Once again, the leading actor reached out for the Sinese to help out. Though by this point, Jan Ren was quite convinced he'd exhausted every method he could think of that would boost the theater's reputation, and another attempt would require a new strategy. Or maybe not? Who knows. Judging from previous attempts, the young man had enough time to think up a proper plan and about two to three days to execute it properly. It'd take about a week's time until the results finally came in, however.

But what else was there left to do? Jan had already exhausted the printer shop rather much, had already visited the farmlands, the merchants, and spread the word to the citiznes of the town as much as he could. He even went to the Lord's castle and spread the theater's plans to the servants, as well as to the noble family. There really weren't that many options left at his disposal, which meant that if the Blue Pegasus mage was to come up with a plan, it was most likely going to stay out of his comfort zone. Something that's been out of his reach for this long.

Much unfortunately, the day was spent thinking up plans and scrapping them. He couldn't think of anything suitable that he hadn't done already. But maybe he didn't need to go out of his way to think of something? Regardless, it was a disappointingly unfruitful day for Jan, and he ultimately went to sleep without a conclusion.

The next morning, however. The young man woke up at the local inn to receive a message from a postman. It was an envelope with a familiar seal on it. His eyes widened with surprise as he recognized the symbol; this was from Lord Syllas. What possibly could he want with him? And now of all times too?

WC: 315/1,000

As he opened the envelope to see the letter inside, Jan briefly read it out loud. What could the lord want, and why so conveniently as the Sinese undertook another attempt to increase the theater's reputation? Were the two even related? --After a quick run through, it became apparent that they weren't. This was a separate occasion, but one worrying enough nonetheless. Grabbing onto the note, hands twitching as the young man tried his best not to squint it; it appears that Lord Syllas has decided to run a banquet in his castle, and has invited several noblemen from around the neighboring areas to his place. For some reason, Jan Ren was invited as well.

...That's it!!!

He may have discussed this with the man in question a while back, but the idea was turned down due to obvious expense reasons. It was Rosalia who was still hooked on trying to help the theater, though her father was ultimately the one to decide. The only reason that redhead would come to invite him, is because of that. There was no better opportunity to utilize! What's more, the banquet was a day later. It almost seemed like the Lord had planned for this, and decided to send the invitation in prime timing. This gave the Sinese just enough time to prepare himself for the banquet.

That said, diplomatic by nature as he was, anxiety still creeped up; as diplomats weren't necessarily aristocrats, much less noble-born. He'd have to put on quite the show in-front of the crowd if he wanted to persuade them to get to the theater and watch comedy skits. In essence, there was much to fix in this scenario; it would be the first time Jan will attend a fancy party as a guest, and he'd have to fix his attitude to match their apparent manners. In addition... The leading actor better hear about this and think up a classy play, at least; if not attempt to refine the repertoire the theater currently had to offer.

Time to get to work after all!

WC: 660/1,000

...Just as expected of nobility. It was nerve-wrecking just standing by them.

He couldn't hand out fliers on this event, absolutely not. Not that a rule against advertising was established, but that it'd be wholely unrefined; and if he was to make a good impression on these stuck-up nobles, he had to play their game. He made sure to stand up straight, put on the best of his Qipao, make his hair as tidy as possible (even tying it up in a classy ponytail, opposed to his set style), and generally smile at the people around; though not quite approach nilly-willy. This wasn't just another advertisement campaign in Marigold.

After Lord Syllas and Rosalia's entrance and speech, the guests were allowed some free time. Naturally, the Sinese' first stop was towards the lord in question, but he was quickly stopped by others who surely had 'something better to discuss'. So, using this opportunity, the young man turned to the nobles around, and after some mindless (but pompous) banter, raised the idea of the theater's "refined performances" and their "exquisite shows". While he wasn't entirely sure they were convinced, Jan steeled himself properly to present the theater to the best of his ability, doing his utmost best not to leave any holes in his fake identity assumed.

What? Lying every now and then to at least get a chance wasn't too bad, was it? No harm done.

After some chitchat and proper advertising, finally the Lord had some time for the Sinese himself. Naturally, he had to ask Syllas about the event, finally allowing himself to drop the distance and be his proper self with the oddly familiar-by-now redhead. Naturally, he got a rejection; but it couldn't be more false than displayed. So yes, the lord and his daughter indeed held this party to help the theater's progress, and Jan was to play the ambassador to make sure it went smoothly.

Lo and behold, the apparent stuck-up attitude these nobles displayed remained, but wasn't impervious to change; as merely three days after the event, some even attended the theater's performances. Whether they enjoyed or not, wasn't the issue the Sinese could deal with. Promptly accepting the pay again, and some words of praise for managing to get these guys to watch.

Another day, another Jewel!

WC: 1,044/1,000