Chapter 7: 100% Satisfaction
The following morning, the weather changed from clear to partly cloudy, the light and temperature proving quite comfortable.
In the central square of Rosac, several fountain sculptures of varying styles stood. Streams of water gushed from their pipes into the air, floating with the gentle breeze, offering a refreshing touch to the crowded square.
Last night, under the moon's glow, they erected the pointed tents for the circus.
This performance area covered nearly half of the square, its pointed tents towering above all the buildings in the city.
A bright flag fluttered atop the tent, announcing to the entire city the arrival of the Audrey Circus.
In front of this pointed tent sat the ticket booth, Xia Zuo's workplace.
The strongman, Pole Pie, had hauled it from the parking lot. Children chased after him, fascinated by the immense strength he exuded.
Behind the pointed tent, they erected a slightly shorter one—a space for performers to rest and change costumes.
Early this morning, everyone donned their performance attire and rehearsed inside the tent, arranging their sequences.
Pole Pie opened the show, tossing the clown high into the air repeatedly.
The siblings flew skyward time and again, their pointed sticks puncturing the colorful balls hanging from the roof, showering the arena with ribbons as the balloons burst.
Sneck, the snake dancer, staged a performance resembling a theatrical play.
Dressed as a traveler confronting wild serpents in the wilderness, he wielded a wooden curved knife while playing a custom flute hung around his neck. Amidst exotic music, man and snake engaged in a dance-like battle on stage.
Audrey was the only performer using metallic props.
Amidst Sneck and the clown brother's lively tunes, Audrey roamed along the edge of the stage, showcasing her impressive skills, occasionally leaping and hurling throwing knives at the clown sister tied to a wooden post.
Finally, Fire Breather Fan Er Si took the stage, although not breathing fire, merely pacing through his performance route.
It seemed fire-breathing might cause bodily harm.
Xia Zuo, having previewed the show backstage, donned a voluminous green wig and a red nose ornament, quietly awaiting customers in the ticket booth.
"Hey, lad, give me and the kids a ticket each."
The gem-studded patron generously dropped a hefty pouch onto the counter.
"Welcome! Are you here to watch the full performance?" Xia Zuo faced the first guest with a beaming smile.
"Daddy, I wanna see everything!" The young boy's innocent voice rang out.
"Me too, Daddy! I wanna see it all!" The little girl cooed towards her father.
"Alright, alright, we'll see it all." The guest lifted his two children, planting a kiss on each cheek.
Adults and children paid the same price; after all, the seats in the arena were fixed, and the circus's primary audience was always children.
Three people attending four shows, totaling 12 tickets, cost 51 copper coins.
Xia Zuo spread his arms, hands gliding across the counter, neatly arranging the small wooden pieces serving as tickets.
Next, he swiftly glanced into the pouch, extracting a handful of copper coins. Counting them expediently in front of the customer, he then swept the nail-sized coins into the money box at his feet.
This entire process had been rehearsed over a hundred times the previous night.
The tickets, once piled together, were categorized and placed strategically around him, stacked in sets of five, crisscrossed to indicate the remaining seats for each performance at a mere glance.
Ticket issuing and payment were seamlessly executed without any delay.
"Here are your tickets and pouch. Please keep them safe. Before each show, kindly present the corresponding ticket to the staff. Thank you for your patronage and welcome again!"
Xia Zuo made silly faces at the kids, eliciting giggles, while unexpectedly receiving a message in his mind.
"Successfully sold circus performance tickets, income of 51 copper coins, customer satisfaction 80%, gained 0.04 experience."
Selling tickets could earn experience! And it scaled based on income! Customer satisfaction affected the conversion rate of income into experience.
Instantly, Xia Zuo exaggerated his expressions and tone towards the next customer, who seemed infected by his enthusiasm, sporting a smile.
"Successfully sold circus performance tickets, income of 17 copper coins, customer satisfaction 85%, gained 0.014 experience."
If satisfaction reached 100%, selling a full set of tickets would yield 0.017 experience. Selling around 80 sets would be akin to a single potion.
Glancing at the lengthy queue at the ticket counter, Xia Zuo realized a fortune awaited. The circus belonged to his family; earning money and experience was a collective effort.
Overflowing with inner joy, he noticed that while customer satisfaction kept rising, reaching just above 90%, it never quite hit 100%.
During the lunch break, Xia Zuo saw the patterns on the actors' faces. Inspired, he sought out the clown sister skilled in makeup and asked her to paint similar patterns on his face.
Fetching colorful bells and a cute horn crafted by hand, he adorned the ticket counter.
As his arm extended through the window, the bells tinkled lightly, emitting a cheerful sound.
Upon customers collecting their tickets and pouches, Xia Zuo honked the horn amusingly, bidding farewell to them and beckoning the next in line.
"Successfully sold circus performance tickets, income of 34 copper coins, customer satisfaction 100%, gained 0.034 experience."
Indeed.
Portraying the circus ticket seller role convincingly maintained customer satisfaction at a constant 100%.
Though it was only a 10% difference from 90% satisfaction, the cumulative experience over time would be substantial.
The circus thrived, performers exuding boundless energy, one show following another with minimal break during the brief noon respite. By four or five in the afternoon, tickets were completely sold out.
"Sorry, but tickets for today are sold out. Please come early tomorrow. Apologies for the inconvenience."
Xia Zuo handed a colored glass bead to those who missed out, consoling the tearful children.
Closing the counter, hanging a sign saying "Sold Out," locking the ticket booth, he recounted the copper coins in the money box.
The first day had the most visitors, yielding around 2000 copper coins, equivalent to 2 points of leveling experience.
[Experience] 5/15.
Ten points away from leveling up.
Following the performance in Rosac City, reading through the newly purchased books would suffice for Xia Zuo's evening. With a satisfied air, Xia Zuo diligently updated the ledger, securely locking the cashbox and stashing it away in the concealed compartment beneath the floor, adding a hefty lock to secure it further.
Two more locks secured the carriage door, ensuring an impeccable level of protection... well, as long as there wasn't a powerhouse like Pole Pie around, capable of effortlessly splitting those locks with a heavy axe.
Xia Zuo made his way to the backstage of the performance area, handing over the ledger and keys to the eldest among them, leaning against the curtain to surreptitiously observe the show.
The timing couldn't have been better; Fan Er Si had just taken the stage.
Normally a man of few words, he transformed the moment he stepped onto the stage, donning the classic theatrical smile, every gesture and motion exuding deliberate flamboyance.
With his right hand holding a torch and the left tilting a vial of potion into his mouth, Fan Er Si raised a finger, sweeping his gaze around the venue, capturing the audience's attention.
"Puff!"
"Whoosh!"
Combustible water surged forth like an arrow from the fire breather's mouth, igniting a long burst of flames as it grazed the torch, swiftly engulfing the surroundings in a roaring blaze.
Even behind the curtain, Xia Zuo could feel the scorching heat wave.
"Wow!"
"Clap, clap, clap!" The audience erupted into enthusiastic cheers and applause.
"Puff!"
"Whoosh!"
"Puff!"
"Whoosh!"
Fan Er Si unleashed a series of fiery bursts, eliciting a mixture of awe and excitement from the spectators. Children teetered between fear and exhilaration, clutching onto their elders' arms, squealing in amazement.
This was just the appetizer for the fire-breathing performance.
Sneck and the clown brother, each holding a wooden pole, emerged from behind the curtain.
They lit one end of the poles, then impaled a plucked and cleaned chicken onto the other.
Fan Er Si took a deep breath, visibly expanding his lungs, while ingesting another potion.
The atmosphere grew solemn as everyone fixated on the fire breather.
"Whoosh~~~~"
The flames surged more vigorously and enduringly this time, turning a deep crimson, engulfing every corner of the performance area with intense heat. People involuntarily leaned away, fearing the flames might reach them.
The fire enveloped the chicken, forming a bright fireball. The scent of roasted meat accompanied the relentless blaze, wafting toward the audience's noses.
Whether due to Fan Er Si's incredible lung capacity or the effect of the potion, Xia Zuo counted for five to six seconds, yet there was no sign of the flames relenting.
"Roar, roar, roar!"
"Clap, clap, clap!"
The audience section erupted, children bouncing in their seats, arms raised, yelling and cheering for the fire breather on stage.
"Amazing!"
"The fire breather is so skilled!"
"The chicken is cooked!"
"Mom, can you cook like this?! This is incredible!"
Fan Er Si abruptly shut his mouth, halting the water flow, causing the flames to dissipate instantly, leaving a sizzling roasted chicken as proof of the fire breather's prowess.
He wiped the moisture from the corner of his mouth and gestured toward the backstage.
Xia Zuo was pulled onto the stage by the crowd, all of them holding hands and bowing to the audience.
"Thank you all for coming. Today's performance concludes here," Audrey announced, moving to the front of the group, waving her arms to disperse the audience.
"Audrey's Circus, well done!"
"Mom, I want to come again tomorrow!"
"Dad, Dad, I want to be a fire breather!"
The jubilant children, pulled away by their parents, gradually quietened down as they exited the peaked tent.
Once the audience had left, Audrey gathered the troupe, praising each member and specifically commending Xia Zuo for his meticulous and clear ledger keeping.
"Everyone, let's tidy up the area. We'll distribute the rewards after dinner. Xia Zuo, prepare dinner at the inn where we're staying; we'll join you shortly."
"Understood, boss lady."
With Audrey's approval, Xia Zuo's fatigue from the day dissipated entirely.
He glanced at the roasted chicken. "Boss lady, what about this chicken? Shall I prepare it?"
"That chicken," Audrey gestured as if stuffing something into the chicken's rear, "has been laced with a potion; it's not edible."
"Oh, I see. I'll head out first then."
Lifting the curtain, Xia Zuo briskly departed from the scene.