Chapter 7: One Hundred Percent Satisfaction

Chapter 7: Satisfaction 100%

The next morning dawned clear, turning partly cloudy later, with comfortable sunlight and temperature.

In the central square of Rosak, several fountains of varying designs dotted the area. Mist sprayed from pipes into the air, drifting gently on the breeze, bringing waves of coolness to the crowded plaza.

Last night, the troupe had worked through the night to erect the circus’s pointed tent.

This performance venue covered most of the square, its towering spire rising higher than any building in the town.

At the top of the tent fluttered a bright flag, proclaiming the arrival of the Audrey Circus to the entire city.

In front of the pointed tent stood the ticket booth where Summer worked.

The strongman Popeye had dragged it by hand all the way from the parking lot. Children ran after the large figure, shouting excitedly, drawn irresistibly to the power his muscles radiated.

Behind the main tent was a smaller one, serving as a resting and dressing area for the performers.

In the early hours, everyone changed into their costumes and rehearsed inside the big tent, arranging the order of appearances.

The strongman was the first to take the stage, responsible for tossing the clown upward.

The brother and sister flew repeatedly into the sky, piercing colorful balloons hanging from the roof with their pointed wooden sticks. As the balloons burst, ribbons fluttered through the air, filling the tent with a shower of color.

The snake dancer, Snake, performed more like a theatrical play.

He portrayed a traveler encountering a deadly serpent in the wild, brandishing a curved wooden blade in one hand while playing a specially crafted flute hung around his neck. To the exotic music, man and snake twisted and danced in a mesmerizing battle.

Audrey was the only performer to wield metal props.

Amid the cheerful tunes played by Snake and the clown brother, Audrey moved gracefully along the edge of the stage, occasionally leaping into the air to strike poses, throwing flying knives mid-flight toward the clown sister tied to a wooden post.

The fire breather, Vaners, appeared last, but did not breathe fire; instead, he walked the stage to confirm his route.

Perhaps this was because fire breathing could cause bodily harm.

Summer watched the rehearsal backstage before donning a fluffy green wig and a red nose, quietly awaiting customers at the ticket booth.

“Young man, three tickets please—one for me and one each for the children.”

A customer wearing a jeweled ring generously placed a heavy money pouch on the counter.

“Welcome! Would you like to see the full show?” Summer greeted the first visitor with his brightest smile.

“Daddy, I want to see the whole show,” the little boy said in a tender voice.

“Me too, daddy, I want the full performance,” the little girl coquettishly added.

“All right, all right, we’ll take the full package,” the father said, lifting both children and kissing each on the cheek.

The price was the same for adults and children, as the seating was limited and the circus’s main audience was children.

Three people watching four shows meant twelve tickets in total, costing 51 copper coins.

Summer spread his arms, stretching and contracting them as his hands swept across the counter. The small wooden tickets were neatly arranged.

He then opened the money pouch, quickly glanced inside, and pulled out a handful of copper coins. In front of the customers, he counted them swiftly, then swept the coins into the cash box at his feet.

This entire routine had been rehearsed hundreds of times the night before.

The tickets, originally piled together, were sorted and placed at various angles beside him in groups of five, stacked both horizontally and vertically.

This way, a quick glance revealed how many seats remained for each show.

The ticketing and money collection flowed smoothly and efficiently, with no hesitation.

“These are your tickets and your money pouch. Please keep them safe. Before each show, hand the corresponding ticket to the staff. Thank you for your patronage and we look forward to seeing you again.”

Summer made a funny face to the children, who giggled happily. Suddenly, a message popped into his mind:

“Successfully sold circus show tickets, income: 51 copper coins, customer satisfaction: 80%, gained 0.04 experience points.”

!!!

Selling tickets gave experience points! And it was calculated based on income! Customer satisfaction influenced how income converted to experience.

Summer immediately greeted the next customer with even more exaggerated expressions and enthusiasm. The customer seemed infected by his cheerfulness and smiled in response.

“Successfully sold circus show tickets, income: 17 copper coins, customer satisfaction: 85%, gained 0.014 experience points.”

If satisfaction reached 100%, selling a full show ticket would yield 0.017 experience points. Selling about eighty tickets equaled one trial run.

Summer scanned the long queue in front of the booth, which even curved around the corner—at least twenty or thirty people.

We’re going to make a fortune. The circus is our home; earning money and gaining experience depends on everyone.

Summer’s joy radiated from within. Customer satisfaction kept rising but barely surpassed 90%. It had never hit 100%.

During the midday break, Summer noticed the patterns painted on the actors’ faces. Inspired, he asked the clown sister, who did makeup, to paint similar designs on his own face.

He also hung colorful bells and brought out a cute hand-held horn, decorating the ticket booth simply.

Whenever he extended his arm through the window, the bells jingled lightly, producing a lively, joyful sound.

After customers took their tickets and money pouches, Summer would honk the horn in a comical way to send them off and signal the next customer forward.

“Successfully sold circus show tickets, income: 34 copper coins, customer satisfaction: 100%, gained 0.034 experience points.”

So it was true.

As long as he fully embraced the role of ticket seller, customer satisfaction stayed at 100%.

Though only 10% higher than 90%, the cumulative experience difference would be significant over time.

The circus thrived; the performers were full of energy, performing show after show with only brief breaks at noon. By around four or five in the afternoon, all tickets were sold out.

“Sorry, today’s tickets are sold out. Please come early tomorrow. We apologize.”

Summer handed a colorful glass bead to a customer to console the children who almost cried from missing out.

He closed the counter, hung a “Sold Out” sign, locked the ticket booth, and counted the coins in the cash box.

The first day saw the largest crowd, earning about 2,000 copper coins—equivalent to 2 experience points toward leveling up.

[Experience] 5/15.

Ten points shy of leveling.

He estimated that after the Rosak performance, finishing those two newly purchased books would be about right.

Summer happily recorded the accounts, locked the cash box, hid it in a floor compartment, and secured it with a heavy lock.

The ticket booth door had two more locks; the entire security setup was foolproof… well, unless a strongman like Popeye came along wielding a heavy axe to chop through them.

Summer headed backstage to the performance area, handing the accounts and keys to the troupe leader, then leaned against the curtain to secretly watch the show.

Perfect timing—Vaners had just begun his act.

Usually quiet and reserved, he transformed on stage, wearing a practiced performer’s smile and exaggerated gestures.

Vaners held a torch in his right hand, poured a large gulp from a vial into his mouth with his left, then raised a finger and scanned the crowd, drawing all eyes to him.

“Pffft!”

Whoosh!

A stream of flammable liquid shot from his mouth like an arrow. Passing the torch, it ignited a long trail of flame.

The roaring fire surged nearly three meters ahead, the blaze illuminating the pointed tent.

Even through the curtain, Summer felt waves of scorching heat.

“Wow~”

“Clap, clap, clap!” The audience erupted with cheers and applause.

“Pffft!”

Whoosh!

“Pffft!”

Whoosh!

Vaners breathed fireballs toward the crowd, thrilling and startling them. Children, caught between fear and excitement, clung to adults’ arms, shrieking continuously.

This was just the appetizer of the fire show.

Snake and the clown brother stepped out, each holding a wooden pole.

They lit a torch on one pole, then skewered a plucked and cleaned raw chicken on the other.

Vaners took a deep breath, his lungs visibly expanding, then placed another vial in his mouth.

The crowd fell silent, all eyes fixed on the fire breather.

“Pfffff~~~~”

Whoooooosh~~~~

This time the flames burned stronger and longer, glowing a deep red, sending waves of heat through every corner of the performance area. People instinctively leaned backward, fearing the raging fire might reach them.

The fire’s tip enveloped the chicken, turning it into a bright blazing ball. The aroma of roasted meat wafted enticingly toward the audience.

Whether from Vaners’ exceptional lung capacity or the vial’s effect, Summer counted five or six seconds without any sign of the fire dying down.

“Roar! Clap, clap, clap!” The stands erupted again. Children bounced excitedly, raising their arms, shouting for the fire breather.

“Awesome!”

“Fire breather is amazing!”

“The chicken is cooked!”

“Mom, can you cook like this? It’s incredible!”

Vaners suddenly snapped his mouth shut, cutting off the fuel stream. The flames vanished instantly, leaving the sizzling roasted chicken on stage as proof of his skill.

He wiped water from his mouth and extended his arm backstage.

Summer was pulled onto the stage with the others. Hand in hand, they bowed to the audience.

“Thank you all for coming. Today’s performance has come to an end.”

Audrey stepped to the front, waving her arms to disperse the crowd.

“Great job, Audrey Circus!”

“Mom, I want to come again tomorrow!”

“Dad, Dad, I want to be a fire breather!”

The excited children were led out of the pointed tent by their parents, and the area gradually fell silent.

Once the audience had left, Audrey gathered everyone and praised each performer, highlighting Summer’s meticulous and clear bookkeeping.

“Everyone, let’s clean up the venue. After dinner, we’ll distribute pay. Summer, prepare dinner at the inn where you’re staying. We’ll join you shortly.”

“Got it, boss lady.”

Summer’s fatigue from the day melted away with Audrey’s approval.

He glanced at the roasted chicken. “Boss lady, what about this chicken? Should I cook it into a dish?”

“That one,” Audrey gestured as if stuffing something into the chicken’s rear, “has medicine inside. It can’t be eaten.”

“Oh, I see. I’ll head out then.”

Summer lifted the curtain and stepped away lightly.

(End of chapter)