The theater square was already packed with crowds, bustling with excitement, the air among the people filled with anticipation and thrill.
Sitting at a table on the edge, Noah scanned the crowd with his gaze and immediately spotted the Bei Ji and Bei Shi siblings.
The start of the Snow Leopard companion story Wild Heart's Return is the Snow Leopard receiving Bei Shi's performance commission and discovering that Bei Shi's brother has been missing for a week.
The enthusiastic Snow Leopard decides to help Bei Shi find her brother, during which he rescues a logistics worker, investigates the Beast Gang camp, and finds the trapped Bei Ji in a cave.
With the Snow Leopard's help, the siblings finally reunite, resolve their grudges, a standard happy ending.
The plot itself has no major flaws; it even promotes the traditional culture of lion dancing to foreigners, which counts as cultural output.
Unfortunately, when Wuthering Waves launched, the optimization was poor, and the main story had level locks, causing many players eager to level up back then to complain that this quest was long and tedious.
Although Noah hadn't done this quest, he knew that whether he participated or not, it was the same.
The Snow Leopard could handle it alone.
"Dong dong cang, dong dong cang..."
The lively theater suddenly erupted with passionate gong and drum sounds, instantly igniting the atmosphere of the entire venue.
Chixia excitedly pulled Yangyang and Noah:
"Look, it's the lion!"
"Cheesy Snow Leopard." Noah corrected.
That white lion, in rhythm with the gongs and drums, took agile and spirited steps, leaping up and steadily landing on the plum blossom stakes.
Amid a burst of astonished cries from the audience, the white lion darted back and forth on the tall plum blossom stakes, sometimes raising its head high with chest puffed out and eyes wide open, sometimes shaking its head and wagging its tail in a cute and amusing manner.
A few moves brought the white lion to life vividly, earning thunderous applause:
"Good!"
"Brilliant."
"So realistic."
The passionate gong and drum sounds grew even more fervent, the spirited white lion built up its stance, and suddenly leaped toward a distant plum blossom stake that was a full twenty meters higher.
For a moment, the audience below held their breath collectively, stunned by this shocking scene.
With a thud of an unprecedentedly heavy drumbeat, the white lion successfully jumped to the topmost plum blossom stake, and the youthful boy under the lion's head revealed a pure and innocent smile.
The performance ended, and the applause reached its peak.
"Such amazing lion dancing." Yangyang couldn't help but praise.
"Can't diss this one, this is genuinely impressive."
Noah nodded in deep agreement, clapping his hands.
The Auspicious Lion Troupe's performance naturally wouldn't end with just one show; after Lingyang's solo lion dance, next came the lion dance performances by the others, leaving Noah amazed and enlightened.
This was perhaps one of the perks of transmigration, witnessing richer stories beyond the plot.
On the other side, after Lingyang stepped off stage, he arrived at the backstage area, where a stern figure saw Lingyang and revealed a smile:
"Snow Leopard, great lion dancing!"
"Captain Calcharo, I am Suan'ni, not Snow Leopard (XueBao)."
Lingyang repeated his identity somewhat helplessly, sat down to rest briefly, looked up at Calcharo beside him:
"Do you still think I pose a threat to humanity now?"
"Snow Leopard, after a day of getting to know you, I have to admit, you are the most unique Beast Resonator I have ever met."
Calcharo extended his hand to Lingyang:
"I believe you are kind-hearted, and moreover, I am preparing to leave Jinzhou. I will keep your identity confidential."
Lingyang shook hands with Calcharo and couldn't help but try to retain him:
"You're leaving? Our lion dance performance isn't over yet."
"If there's a chance to come to Jinzhou in the future, I'll watch your lion dance performance then."
Calcharo shook his head, then patted Lingyang's shoulder:
"I'm off, Snow Leopard brother. If you're ever discovered by others in the future and can't stay in Jinzhou, you can come find me in the New Federation."
"Thanks, Calcharo, and, I am Suan'ni. Whatever, call me whatever you want."
Lingyang, moved, took out a string of bells: "Take this string of bells as a keepsake."
Calcharo accepted the bells and left the theater.
"Lingyang!"
From not far away, the Auspicious Lion Troupe master's shout pulled Lingyang out of his sadness over his friend's departure.
He needed to hurry and prepare the props for the next performance.
"Lingyang, come here quick."
The master's voice called again, and Lingyang picked up the props in his hands and hurried toward the master.
He saw the master beaming with joy, as if struck by heaven-sent good fortune, introducing the man in white casual attire beside him:
"Lingyang, this gentleman really likes our Auspicious Lion Troupe's performance, he sponsored us one hundred thousand Shell Credits for free, and specifically requested to meet you."
"Huh?"
Hearing the master's words, Lingyang was stunned, sniffed, and detected from the man in white casual attire a powerful, unfamiliar, but not evil aura.
Who is this person? Why specifically want to meet him?
Despite his mind racing with thoughts, Lingyang still extended his hand:
"Hello, I am Lingyang."
The man's hand gripped his, and he heard him laugh heartily:
"Hi Snow Leopard! I am Lucian! I want to be friends with you."
"Huh?"
Hearing "Snow Leopard," Lingyang was dumbfounded.
He had just sent off one Calcharo who thought he was a Snow Leopard, and now another one comes.
The master saw Lingyang frozen in place without speaking for a long time and hurriedly smoothed things over:
"Hahaha, the great hero of Jinzhou is joking, your name, Noah, who in Jinzhou doesn't know it?"
"By the way, why do you call our Lingyang Snow Leopard? Hey, don't say it, my disciple really does resemble a Snow Leopard a bit."
"Lingyang, hurry and thank Mr. Noah for the stage name he gave you?"
He is that great hero of Jinzhou? Feels so strong, even stronger than Calcharo!
Lingyang snapped back to reality, not daring to be neglectful, and quickly responded:
"Thank you, Mr. Noah, for the stage name. Someone else called me Snow Leopard before, so I was stunned just now."
At this time, Lingyang still didn't know that the stage name "Snow Leopard" would permanently accompany him from then on.
"I was just joking, stage names should be chosen carefully. Very pleased to meet you, Lingyang."
Noah naturally saw Lingyang's nervousness and patted the latter's shoulder:
"I saw your lion dancing is exquisite, so I wanted to get to know you, nothing else. Right, who else called you Snow Leopard before?"
"A friend I just met yesterday, white hair, very strong."
Hearing Snow Leopard's answer, Noah's eyes lit up.
White hair, very strong?
Could it be Black Shores' Camellya!
He hurriedly asked:
"Is that friend of yours male or female?"
Snow Leopard didn't know why Noah cared about this, and answered honestly:
"Male."
Male, huh.
Noah felt a bit disappointed inside.
White hair, male, very strong, could it be Aalto? But Aalto's combat strength shouldn't be that high.
Who else in Wuthering Waves fits white hair, very strong, male all at once?
Can't be Calcharo.
Impossible, there's no Calcharo plot in Jinzhou.
After a brief chat with Snow Leopard, expressing that if Snow Leopard encountered any problems in Jinzhou he could come to him for help, Noah left the theater backstage, silently chanting in his heart:
"Snow Leopard ah Snow Leopard, in reality I can take good care of you, but please don't show up in my gacha pool!"