Without question, the "ending" this trial spoke of was—at least on the surface—the circus showdown between Morning Joy and Sunset.
The trial's hint was "Every performance has an ending," but right now Morning Joy's performance was guaranteed to have an ending. It was only the Sunset that, lacking a clown to host the show, would likely miss that sa-day competition "ending."
The way to clear a Deceit trial had always been to "obey and act"—that is, follow the hints given and complete the assigned task. On the surface, it looked like the players' mission was to help the Sunset find that missing clown.
But was that really the case?
Absolutely not!
Every Deceit trial ca with an extrely obvious hint, but ever since the Faith Ga descended upon the world, every single hint Deceit had ever given had been wrong!
All lies!
Even the trial's title itself could be a lie.
Whenever players drew one of Deceit's trials, many of them would scrutinize every word, trying to discern the trial's true purpose, terrified of being led astray.
Viewed through standard Deceit logic, the trial's hint should actually be interpreted as:
No performance has an ending.
In other words: shatter everything as it stands and turn any predetermined course of events into its complete opposite!
This hint was deeply thought-provoking.
Both Cheng Shi and Zhen Xin were Deceit followers, and they quickly grasped the key point. However, rather than rushing off to destroy Morning Joy's "ending," they discussed it briefly and decided to visit the Sunset Circus first.
They didn't believe this trial about an "ending" could be that simple. They wanted to first verify whether what the King of the Black Market had told them was true.
Blacks certainly hadn't lied, but the world was never static. Nobody could be sure what changes might occur before the players laid eyes on Ringmaster Fate of the Sunset.
After all, it wasn't hard to guess: if this truly was Deceit's taphor for certain endings, then Fate's will would inevitably be woven into the mix, attempting to twist Deceit's ending and impose its own interpretation.
Cheng Shi hauled Blacks up from the ground without a mont's hesitation and dragged him toward the Sunset Circus. Zhen Xin shifted back into An Mingyu's appearance and hurried after them.
Just as the sun rises in the east and sets in the west, Morning Joy was camped in eastern Kurd while the Sunset's grounds lay in the city's west.
The three of them rushed the entire way and soon arrived at the circus grounds outside the city.
As Canlival's ti-honored "national treasure," the Sunset Circus's scale far exceeded Cheng Shi's imagination.
He had assud that even the largest circus would be nothing more than one big tent surrounded by a few perforrs' tents, with so supplies, horses, and transport vehicles piled around at most.
But the circus before him was teeming with visitors even in broad daylight, a constant stream of people and carriages flowing through.
The roads between the tents were as wide as the city's main thoroughfares, and looking ahead, there was no end in sight.
Cheng Shi was stunned. Gazing at the enormous amusent grounds before him, he said in disbelief:
"This isn't a circus—it's... a the park!
They're open during the day too?"
Seeing Cheng Shi's astonishnt, Blacks bead with pride.
"Of course. This place is open around the clock and never closes for snow or storms.
It's just that right now is Canlival's best season, so there are especially many visitors.
Um... sir, Ringmaster Fate's office is at the very back. If you'd let go of , I can show you a shortcut."
Cheng Shi glanced at Blacks, whom he was still gripping. He knew the man wasn't offering to lead the way out of goodwill—he simply felt that being shoved along by the neck would damage the public image of the King of the Black Market and the Golden House. That was the true source of his sudden "enthusiasm."
Still, Cheng Shi wasn't entirely heartless. He could tell that while this King of the Black Market was slippery, the man also had the sense to read the room. Even setting aside concern for his own life, for the sake of the Golden House's reputation alone, Blacks would never try to run or make a scene here.
So Cheng Shi gave him a casual shove to set him free and let him lead the way.
He followed closely behind, glancing left and right as they walked.
Zhen Xin wasn't particularly amazed. With the History School at her fingertips, she had heard of just about everything. She only shook her head in passing when they walked by a few clumsy magicians performing, then turned her attention back to Cheng Shi.
She said softly:
"After we left San Dales, the History School continued investigating Yu Xi. In their source-tracing initiative, they traced the history of the Joy Theater backward and discovered that San Dales's ancestors were actually a branch of Canlival emigrants.
They'd had enough of the bitter cold and left the north, hoping to rge into the Tower of Logic and gain the protection of the Erudition Presidium and Truth.
The Erudition Presidium agreed to their request and dispatched scholars to take them in completely. That's how San Dales ca to be."
"?"
Cheng Shi froze. "That doesn't add up. I rember San Dales being a faith-free haven built by the scholars, and the people inside were all experint materials. How could they..."
He trailed off mid-sentence, because he had already understood what Zhen Xin ant.
After taking in those emigrants, the Erudition Presidium's scholars wiped their mories and deposited them in the San Dales experint site, where they beca its first residents.
'How ironic.'
'A group of wretched people who'd fled the northern cold only to fall into yet another frozen pit within the Tower of Logic.'
'The Erudition Presidium truly didn't treat people as human beings.'
'Neither did Truth.'
'And so they're all gone now.'
Blacks walked briskly, terrified that slowing down by even a step might offend the two "bosses" behind him. Without a single pause, he led them to Ringmaster Fate's office, then—under the astonished stares of nurous perforrs and visitors—knocked loudly on the office door for all to see.
Cheng Shi recognized this as one of Blacks's little tricks. He was trying to use the onlookers as witnesses, a form of insurance against disappearing without explanation. But Cheng Shi had no desire to waste his attention on such things right now. He just wanted to make sure the trial proceeded smoothly.
Before long, soone opened the door. The man inside wore an immaculate white formal suit—it was none other than Ringmaster Fate of the Sunset Circus.
The instant Ringmaster Fate saw Blacks standing outside, his expression turned utterly grim!
Blacks was the King of the entire black market, the master of the Golden House. He represented everything dirty and dark about Canlival. He should not appear here—especially not before the Sunset's battle to defend the highest honor of circus artistry!
Any association with a man like that would make everyone think the Sunset's victory had been engineered rather than earned through pure performance!
That was precisely why, when Ringmaster Fate had reluctantly sought out Blacks, he had insisted the man keep it quiet and search for the missing Lake in secret.
But Blacks's appearance had shattered all of Ringmaster Fate's plans. The ringmaster's face changed drastically, and in an instant he turned cold:
"Blacks, if you're here for pre-sale tickets, I can only tell you that everyone—even the royal family—must obtain tickets through proper channels.
I will not open any back doors for you, nor will I allow the Golden House to scalp front-row seats.
That's all I have to say. Please leave."
Ringmaster Fate was undeniably shrewd. In just a few sentences, he had explained the situation to the onlookers and severed any perceived connection to the Golden House.
Blacks was sharp too. He understood Ringmaster Fate's position, having been forced to use this tactic to protect himself.
But this ti he hadn't co for himself—he had co because of the two terrors standing behind him. So while his mouth said "Sorry to bother you," his eyes were frantically signaling to Ringmaster Fate.
Ringmaster Fate didn't want to blow things up. After weighing his options, he decided to et with Blacks in secret one more ti.
And so, after their staged falling-out, Blacks led Cheng Shi and Zhen Xin on a roundabout detour, slipping past everyone to reach the lawn behind the office.
Ringmaster Fate was already waiting there. When he noticed people behind Blacks, he imdiately assud they were the man's entourage and spoke up at once:
"Blacks, I've made myself perfectly clear. I have no tickets."
Blacks blinked, thinking: 'There's nobody around us anymore—what are you still pretending for? You certainly didn't have this attitude when you ca begging
this morning.'
'That tearful face, swearing to revive the Sunset, refusing to let a century-old circus go bankrupt—that look was a hundred tis warr than this cold mug you're wearing now.'
"Ringmaster Fate, you have a short mory. I'm not here for tickets. I'm here to confirm your commission—the matter of finding... that thing."
Blacks knew where the line was. He didn't say the na.
But Ringmaster Fate cut him off, his face icy.
"Commission?
What commission?
I have no idea what you're talking about. Blacks, did you not sleep well, or do you have
confused with soone else?"
...
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