Dark Sand: My Players Are All Actors
Chapter 60 - 56 Troupe Members

Chapter 60: Chapter 56 Troupe Members

Back to square one.

Zhao Haiping didn’t immediately restart, but simply summarized the previous battles.

"There was very little time from the beginning of the official instance of Trial Illusion to when the Eastern Barbarian bandits invaded the city, and County Magistrate Tang had already made the best arrangements. There was almost no room for me to play a role.

"Although the numbers on both sides were similar, the difference in combat power was substantial.

"On the bandits’ side, almost everyone was equipped with an Eastern Barbarian sword.

"Eastern Barbarian swords are expensive and difficult to maintain, not everyone among the Eastern Barbarians could afford them. For example, during offline events, many of the Eastern Barbarian soldiers I encountered carried spears.

"This meant that these Eastern Barbarian bandits in the instance were definitely not a motley crowd, but veterans with extremely rich combat experience.

"Moreover, there was a General, two Shadow Servants, and a Wandering Warrior.

"This Wandering Warrior’s combat power was ridiculous, almost like someone bullying newcomers in a beginner’s village. If I confronted him head-on, I probably wouldn’t last long.

"Of course, the key issue was still not having good equipment.

"If I had a suit of armor, a shield, and a long spear, I would have a better chance of winning. Going against that Wandering Warrior with just my nearly rusted broken sword was basically akin to suicide.

"I couldn’t expect much from our side’s combat power either. County Magistrate Tang and the tall and strong militiaman could still put up a fight; Households Commander Xu and Tang’s personal soldiers were also somewhat useful, but as for the ordinary soldiers and militiamen... they were really not up to par.

"Damn, how come this battle feels like a scripted defeat? It seems like there’s no chance of winning at all.

"I’ll try a couple more times, and if it still doesn’t work, I’ll have to think of another method."

Zhao Haiping chose the same identity and talents again and restarted the trial.

This time, he didn’t run back to the county government office but waited directly on the city wall because he wanted to see why these Eastern Barbarian bandits could invade the city so quickly.

He discovered it was because the city’s earthen wall hadn’t been completely finished; there was a spot that wasn’t fully repaired, and it was exactly where the defense was weak. The Eastern Barbarian bandits entered the city directly through this breach.

In fact, this gap was not conspicuous; even the city guards didn’t pay much attention to it, and it became the breakthrough point for the bandits.

Zhao Haiping tried to defend alongside the soldiers on the city wall, but of course, he quickly started the next round.

The second time, Zhao Haiping ran to the county government office at full speed, reported to County Magistrate Tang in advance, and convinced him to not waste time gathering militiamen and able-bodied men but to directly take his personal soldiers to the eastern city wall’s gap to defend.

However, they hadn’t reached the eastern city wall when they encountered the bandits on the road again.

Compared to the first encounter, this clash was closer to the city wall, but they still failed to make it in time to rescue before the bandits breached the eastern city wall. Moreover, because there were fewer people than the first time, they lost even more disastrously.

The performances of several key characters were still about the same: Households Commander Xu was cut down by the bandits; County Magistrate Tang fought bravely, and after his personal soldiers died, he could not withstand alone; the tall and strong man leading the militiamen, seeing that the situation was uncontrollable, bravely broke through the encirclement and fled, with the others scattering like birds and beasts.

As for Zhao Haiping, he deliberately engaged the Wandering Warrior again, and the outcome was the same.

Shit!

After two attempts, Zhao Haiping finally confirmed that this... seemed like a scripted defeat.

Now, he basically couldn’t defeat the Eastern Barbarian Wandering Warrior in a one-on-one fight, let alone with so many Eastern Barbarian bandits around.

"It appears that the invasion of the city by the Eastern Barbarian bandits and the death of County Magistrate Tang seem to be inevitable outcomes.

"The reason is simple: the forces County Magistrate Tang could muster were completely no match for these Eastern Barbarian bandits. And even considering me as a variable, we still couldn’t win.

"In terms of timing, even if I had run to report from the beginning, it still wouldn’t have been enough time to defend the eastern city wall.

"That means... the key to deciphering this instance doesn’t lie in this initial part, at least not entirely. It might be one influencing factor, but certainly not the deciding factor.

"Uh, that makes sense, considering some players have the role of scholars without direct combat ability. Even if they could give buffs to the soldiers here, I guess they would still lose.

"There must be a way for players who are scholars to successfully clear the instance.

"I can’t just be reckless; it seems bulldozing through isn’t viable, so I need to think about other alternatives."

After pondering for a moment, Zhao Haiping decided to switch up the opening.

Different from before, under the identity card options, "Identity points: 76" now appeared.

"Identity points must be related to how many enemies I’ve killed," Hai Ping mused. "In these three trials, I must have killed over twenty enemies? I’ve lost count.

"Each death deducts a fixed value, and from the current situation of my identity points having both whole and fractional values, it seems that killing different enemies might yield different points. For instance, killing stronger enemies or killing enemies by myself might earn more points, while killing weaker enemies or killing enemies as part of a group might earn fewer points.

"If a scholar player was involved, it would likely be about killing enemies who are influenced by upright moral energy. Scholars too must earn points, right?

"Yet having these points is useless because I can’t actually spend them since no new identity options have been activated. I can still only choose from the three basic identities.

"The commoner’s body is just too weak, and there’s no combat memory to activate either. Controlling the body of County Magistrate Tang, Households Commander Xu, or that tall militiaman might have given me a better shot. Perhaps these roles aren’t within the selectable identities? Or maybe I haven’t met some specific conditions?"

Zhao Haiping pondered for a moment, but still lacked any clue.

Thus, he reselected his identity and talent, and began the trials once more.

This time, he chose the role of a theatrical troupe member, casually picking up a masterful talent in opera as well.

...

The Trial Illusion started up again.

This time, however, Zhao Haiping appeared not on the original city wall but directly inside the theater, near the back rows.

Having previously only glanced at the outside of the theater without entering, he now got a clear view of the entire theater.

Judging by modern theater standards, this one was quite small, as modern theaters can accommodate hundreds, even thousands, of people, while this theater could barely seat over a hundred.

But in this small county town, the theater was considered quite large.

Now inside, Zhao Haiping could hear everything much more clearly.

Turning toward the stage, he saw a male and a female performer singing, their voices clear and lingering, echoing through the beams.

Without any modern sound equipment, their voices still clearly reached the back rows and even beyond the theater, faintly audible from outside.

This was due to the special architectural structure of the theater—a roof that amplified sounds, and a hollow stage foundation containing several large jars facing the audience, which also helped amplify the sound.

Moreover, performers in that era had strong voices and were expected to resonate with a clear "crisp voice," lacking which, one couldn’t become a renowned performer. For example, someone was mocked as "Three Rows Remaining" because of ill health and inadequate vocal power.

The entrancing singing also naturally calmed the audience, creating an exceptionally quiet atmosphere within the theater; the audience even covered their mouths to avoid coughing, further enhancing the performance’s impact.

Of course, Zhao Haiping knew nothing of these details. He only knew that the singing onstage was both loud and pleasant. Even someone like him, who had never listened to opera, was utterly captivated.

However, before the lyrics could finish, a shout came from outside the theater, "Eastern Barbarian invaders! Eastern Barbarian invaders are attacking!"

After a few shouts, the entire theater plunged into chaos!

Previously engrossed in the performance, audience members reacted differently; those in the back panicked and fled, those in the middle tried to escape but couldn’t move quickly enough and only managed to shout in desperation, while those in the front, still unaware of what had happened, glared angrily behind them, wanting others to stop making noise and interrupting their enjoyment of the play.

Originally in the back rows, Zhao Haiping found himself pushed outside by the surging crowd.

As he stumbled around dizzily, he heard several screams from outside!

Turning his head, he saw an Eastern Barbarian invader who had somehow already reached the front of the theater, raising a bloodied Eastern Barbarian blade high, intending to hack at the crowd!

Soon, more Eastern Barbarian invaders appeared at the theater entrance.

The Eastern Barbarian General, Shadow Servants, and the same Wandering Warrior from the Eastern Barbarian tribe who had killed Zhao Haiping twice were all there!

Evidently, at this point, County Magistrate Tang had already sacrificed himself for the country.

Seeing the Wandering Warrior, Zhao Haiping took a harder look.

Thinking he was safe having changed identities, he wasn’t expecting that the warrior seemed to sense his murderous intent instinctively and began walking over!

At that moment, without any weapons in his hands, facing the Wandering Warrior meant a certain death!

However, before the Warrior’s blade could strike, a man looking like a scholar stopped him.

Speaking in ancient Eastern Barbarian language, the scholar announced, "The General has commanded, members of the troupe must not be killed! Have you forgotten?"

The Wandering Warrior glared dissatisfiedly at the scholar but still sheathed his blade.

He looked again at Zhao Haiping, eventually deciding against drawing his blade, and instead, walked into the theater.