Lola faltered slightly upon hearing this, and her admiration for Erwin only seemed to be growing.

After that, Lola and Shaw led the way, guiding Erwin and his group into the theater. The Naran Theater didn't appear to be a very large establishment from the outside, but inside, it was able to hold around 1,000 people.

The last performance had just concluded not long ago, and there was still over an hour left until the next performance. During this time, all of the hard-working young actors were busy rehearsing on the stage.

"I am a fallen leaf from the south

I've forgotten where my home is

I drift and I fly, carefree as a bird

Watching the wind and clouds pass by

I've traveled to a faraway land for nothing more than a wild dream Despite our separation, my heart remains firmly hisHe possesses lofty ambitions

While I have only him in my heart

I traveled through the wind and snow to find him

Just so he can see me smile with love and affection

But I'm unable to find him

A good man he is not, but he's certainly one of a kind

In our youth, we spoke not of the future

We merely lamented our identities and wished we were someone elseHe's like a goblet that is filled with my tears

After parting with him, he became the scenery all around me

But the scenery without him is impossbly bleak

Unlike the geese returning to the south, I ventured to the north alone in search of him

My only wish is that my thoughts can reach him through the masses"

Listening to the singing of the young woman on the stage and seeing her sorrowful expression, a curious look appeared on Erwin's face.

"What do you think Mr. Erwin?" Lola asked with a smile. "The girl performing onstage is one of our brightest young actresses. She is rehearsing the musical 'Search', which is what we're going to perform soon."

The troupe often gave the best actors and actresses of the younger generation the opportunity to perform relatively important musicals so that they could accrue experience and replace the older actors in the future, or fill in when required. For example, if Lola were to fall ill one day, one of the younger actresses would get an opportunity to shine.

Erwin was silent for a moment before remarking, "The script is not bad, but the performance is a little too forced, and the emotions that she's displaying also seem to be incorrect."

"Would you care to elaborate?" Lola asked with a curious expression.

"Judging from the lyrics alone, the performer shouldn't be looking so sad and forlorn. If she is drifting like a carefree bird, searching for the man that she loves, then shouldn't she be performing with a hopeful and joyous expression?" Erwin asked.

"That's why I said we should remove that part," Shaw interjected as he gave Lola a displeased look. "I already took that out of the script, why did you add it back in?"

Lola stuck out her tongue in a sheepish manner as she said, "I felt like that part was too good to cut out. I wanted your advice on this, and that's why I was looking for you."

"Fine, do what you want. You're the one calling the shots here anyway," Shaw said with a resigned shake of his head.

"Can you get her to perform that song in its entirety for me? I find it very interesting," Erwin said as he turned to Lola. "What kind of story is being conveyed here?"

"The story is about a woman from the south, traveling a vast distance to the north in search of her husband, who she was separated from during a war. While passing by a certain dukedom, she caught the eye of the heir of that dukedom, and that heir began to pursue her desperately, even going as far as to promise her the entire dukedom in return for her hand in marriage. However, the woman remained completely unmoved and continued to search for the husband that she loved deeply. After being rejected over and over again, the heir's love for her turned into resentment, and he began to send people after her to kill her. While running away from the people who had been sent to take her life, the woman engaged in a contest of wits and courage against the spiteful heir, and she was finally reunited with her husband after overcoming a series of trials and tribulations. The monologue that you heard just now was performed when the woman was rejecting the heir," Lola explained.

"This story was written by Shaw?" Erwin asked as he raised an eyebrow.

"The part about the woman being hunted down by the heir of the dukedom was written by me, but the first half of the story was taken from a musical that Lola heard in the Fano Dukedom," Shaw hurriedly explained, then continued, "My problem with the story is that the premise doesn't make any sense. How did the woman from the south get to the north? Did she fly over the Terarody Mountain Ranges somehow? And how did her husband abandon her before coming to the north himself? It doesn't make sense that he would come all the way to the north just because of some war."

"I don't know how the woman got here, but her husband was most likely traveling to the north via airship, only to be slapped all the way to his destination by a massive magic beast," Erwin said in a nonchalant voice.

Lola and Shaw's eyes both widened upon hearing this. It sounded like Erwin was making a joke, but his expression was very serious, and the two didn't know what to make of this.

Theresa merely thought that Erwin was projecting his own story into the plot of the musical, but she didn't ponder the issue any further than that. Only Onean could sense that Erwin was truly considering the validity of this story.

In Erwin's eyes, only Lana was capable of singing such a song, and he couldn't help but wonder if Lana was the woman in the story.

"Sing that monologue for me again," Erwin said as he cast a hopeful gaze toward Lola. "If you put on a good performance, I'll rent out the entire theater."

"Really? This isn't the biggest theater around, but it's not that small, either," Lola said.

"I can spare enough Loonies for around 1,000 tickets," Erwin replied with a smile.

"Wow, what a generous man you are," Turan said with an amused expression.

Seeing as Erwin was very eager to hear the monologue again, Lola got onto the stage and performed it for him in person.

The young actors on the stage all stopped what they were doing and gathered around to watch Lola's demonstration.

It had to be said that as the lead actress in the troupe, Lola wasn't just a pretty face. Her delicate singing voice perfectly encapsulated the emotions that the lyrics were trying to convey, and her control over her own microexpressions was exceptional, putting on a display of someone who was both wearing a brave smile, yet also on the verge of tears. This was the combination of emotions that should've accompanied such a song, and it was exactly what Erwin wanted to see.

Finally, Lola's song concluded on a sorrowful yet determined note, putting a perfect end to a brilliant performance.

Even though it was only a brief song, everyone was enthralled and swept up by the melancholy of the lyrics. It was as if Lola was the girl in the story, searching arduously through an unfamiliar continent for the husband that she held so dearly to her heart.

It seemed that Erwin was more heavily affected than everyone else by the song, and tears were beginning to well up in his eyes, so he could only close his eyes and pretend to be thinking about something in order to hide his sorrow.

"What's wrong?" Onean squeezed Erwin's hand gently as she gave him a concerned look.

Erwin shook his head with a smile and offered no response. After hearing the song performed in such a masterful fashion by Lola, he was convinced that it was telling the story of none other than Lana.

She's here! She really did come for me! In that instant, he could feel his own heart thumping violently in his chest, while intense elation was washing over his entire body.

If she's here, then why hasn't she come to look for me? Has something happened to her? Erwin thought to himself as his brows furrowed slightly. Looks like the City of Freedom still isn't sufficiently renowned in the north, so she hasn't heard of me yet.

He then brought out an intricate magic potion vial, within which was a single tear that was glistening under the light. This vial was one that Christine had commissioned a skilled artisan to craft under his request. The old vial shattered for some unknown reason, but thankfully, he had reacted quickly enough to preserve the tear. It was the only thing that he had of her, and he cherished it deeply.

"You're accompanied by me and Theresa, yet you're distracting yourself by looking at that tear," Onean remarked in an indifferent voice.

"Don't get jealous, you're just as important to me." Erwin pulled out an intricate vial in the form of a pendant as he spoke before showing it to Onean.

That was the vial that had contained the Springlay Fox bone marrow potion that Onean had used to save his life during the Pillow Sword Tournament.

"You're still carrying that thing with you?" A hint of surprise flashed through Onean's eyes upon seeing this, but a cold look quickly returned to her face as she said, "Even so, that doesn't prove anything. What's most important is who you're thinking about."

Erwin didn't dare to dwell on this subject any longer and hurriedly erupted into applause for Lola.

"That was brilliant. As promised, I'll rent out the entire theater for your next performance," Erwin said as he pulled out a large bag of Loonies before tossing it toward Lola. As he did so, he couldn't help but lament the fact that blessed notes weren't in use here. If paper money had been in widespread circulation here, then he wouldn't have had to carry such a heavy bag around with him.

Lola caught the hefty bag of Loonies, and a wide smile immediately appeared on her face. "Not only are you an excellent poet, you're also a very generous man, Mr. Erwin."

"That story and the song you just performed were all sourced from your trip to the Fano Dukedom, right?" Erwin asked.

"Indeed. The musical, the story, and these lyrics are all very popular in the theaters of the Fano Dukedom, and we made sure to incorporate all of it into our own performances," Lola replied. "Is there something wrong?"

"Not at all," Erwin replied with a shake of his head. "In fact, I think it's brilliant that you're adopting this story. Just your voice alone is well worth those Loonies. I can't wait to see a complete musical from you and your troupe."

In reality, what Erwin was far more interested in was the potential of being able to gather clues on Lana's whereabouts. For that purpose, that large bag of Loonies was a small price to pay.

It looks like that Fano Dukedom is somehow tied to Lana. I'll have to send someone to investigate there, Erwin thought to himself.

Lola was very happy to receive Erwin's praise, and she immediately began to organize a performance. She wanted to put on the best show possible for Erwin.

In reciprocation to her efforts, as soon as the musical began, Erwin did his best to put on an expression of keen interest. However, even though Lola was putting on an excellent performance that was accompanied by brilliant music from the orchestra, Erwin was in no mood to be appreciating the performance. His mind had already wandered to the Fano Dukedom, and he was wondering whether he should get Chinba to send someone to pay the Fano Dukedom a visit or go there himself. Alternatively, he could also spare himself the trouble and go to the Lodais Organization for further information.

Interestingly enough, Onean and Theresa were genuinely enjoying the musical.