"BOOM—"
A massive fireball instantly illuminated the entire circus grounds. Scorching tongues of fla devoured every tent in the vicinity, and cries of alarm erupted from all directions.
Ringmaster Fate was the first to arrive at the scene. Horror plastered across his face, he imdiately called for the security team and rallied everyone to fight the fire.
The guards rushed over in a panic, and nurous perforrs abandoned their acts on the spot, grabbing buckets and sprinting to help extinguish the blaze.
By the ti the park's visitors crowded around, the fire had been mostly put out. But where the tent had stood was now a flattened crater—even a pit had been blown open. Everyone's face was as dark as that charred hole.
They knew whose tent this was. Yet they hadn't seen any trace of its owner—not even a silhouette among the embers.
One of the perforrs choked out in disbelief: "Ringmaster, Lake is..."
Ringmaster Fate clenched his fists so hard they shook, his face ashen as he shook his head:
"Impossible! He's fine—he has to be fine!
Go—everyone, search for him! Lake wasn't in his tent. He told
he was going out.
Guards, report everything exactly as it happened to the royal court. I want to know who had the audacity to commit arson and assault inside this circus at a ti like this!
Whoever thinks they can climb to the top by trampling on the Sunset's reputation—I won't stand for it!"
The explosion instantly beca the biggest news in all of Kurd. Countless people followed Lake's whereabouts, wondering whether the Sunset could still compete in five days.
There were spectators, agitators, opportunists fishing in muddy waters—but most were audience mbers who genuinely mourned the loss.
It was clear that Lake's reputation was excellent. His skill was outstanding, and his contributions to the circus rivaled Ringmaster Fate's own. One only had to look at the grief on the perforrs' faces to know how beloved the clown was. So in the crowd were even shouting Lake's na, calling him the ringmaster.
Had things gone as expected, Lake would likely have succeeded Ringmaster Fate once his term ended.
But all of that had shattered in this chaotic explosion.
On the outer edge of the commotion, a spotless Cheng Shi stood facing a soot-covered Zhen Xin.
Regarding Cheng Shi's decision to shove her in front of himself as a human shield against the blast, Zhen Xin protested with a blackened face:
"This is the second ti!
Cheng Shi, did Fate bestow all that attention on you just so anyone near you gets to eat an explosion?!"
Her words seed to trigger a mory. Cheng Shi smiled awkwardly and waved a hand:
"Last ti it was your sister who got blasted—that doesn't count. You two settle your own scores.
Besides, compared to saving your life, taking a little explosion is nothing.
As long as the healer doesn't die, it doesn't matter if you die or not—I can always pull you back."
He even tossed her a healing spell, though unfortunately, healing spells only nded people, not clothes.
Zhen Xin was completely unhard—just her outfit had been singed.
Her eyelid twitched, and she snapped:
"An explosion this small isn't nearly enough for you to need to 'pull
back.' Even if it went off right in my face, I wouldn't necessarily get hurt."
"Right, right, right—of course. You're a Chosen One, after all. How could ordinary explosives possibly hurt you? But if you knew it was explosives, why did you rush in? What, did believing in Chaos make you chaotic too?"
Zhen Xin glared at him, gnashing her teeth:
"I was baiting!
Act one step, plan three ahead—that's how you break the ga.
Since I knew the explosives couldn't hurt , I should have entered the ga personally to play along with the opponent's act. Only by falling into their rhythm would there be any chance of drawing out the lone wolf hiding behind the scenes.
You're so cautious about everything, so painfully careful, that you wasted the opportunity. And now how are we supposed to figure out what our lone-wolf teammate is planning?
Unless you've developed mind-reading abilities like the Fun God and already know what that Master of Trickery intends to do?
If so, it's simple—just tell
where he is. You don't even have to lift a finger. I'll drag him here myself.
Well?
Go on. Tell ."
Zhen Xin stood with her arms crossed, her fingertips rapidly tapping against her arm. She was clearly genuinely angry.
Cheng Shi's smile froze. He looked slightly guilty.
Ever since returning from the Real Universe, even with his nerves relaxed, the fears he had collected there still lay buried deep in his heart. No wonder he was more cautious than before.
But the situation wasn't as hopeless as Zhen Xin made it sound. They hadn't completely lost their chance to find the person.
Entering the ga personally was ultimately just a ans to determine the opponent's identity. And a Master of Trickery bold enough to attack Cheng Shi disguised as Zhang Jizu and Zhen Xin disguised as the Blind One in this kind of scenario—there weren't many in the entire peak circle who'd dare.
Cheng Shi hadn't fought many peak-level deceivers, and even fewer Masters of Trickery. Most of the ones he knew were already in the Joker. So after thinking it over fruitlessly, he turned his gaze to Zhen Xin.
Zhen Xin quickly arrived at the sa conclusion. Her brow furrowed as she carefully sifted through possible suspects, but the longer she thought, the deeper her frown beca.
She couldn't figure out who this Master of Trickery might be either.
"If we weren't disguised right now—if we were just Cheng Shi and Zhen Xin—there'd be several candidates.
Among deceivers, fights co down to who can out-deceive whom. They'd have plenty of reasons and motives to move against us.
But right now, in their eyes, their teammates are Zhang Jizu and An Mingyu. A Master of Trickery willing to attack Mingyu... I can't think of a single one.
Unless this person has a phantasm-fabrication artifact. But if so, the suspects would expand to every faith, and blind guessing would be pointless."
As he listened, a na suddenly flashed through Cheng Shi's mind.
He actually did know a Master of Trickery who might be capable of all this.
More importantly, that particular Master of Trickery genuinely had reason to avoid Zhang Jizu and the Blind One—to refuse to et them. Because this person was scheming to "eliminate" Cheng Shi, and he should know that both of them were Cheng Shi's friends.
Seeing the spark in Cheng Shi's eyes, Zhen Xin said in surprise: "You've figured out who it is?"
Cheng Shi nodded:
"It's possible it's him, but I can't be certain yet.
It's soone you know too... Su Yida."
Zhen Xin froze, recalling the figure she had seen within Cheng Shi's mories.
"The Archmage of the Demonic Realm?
But isn't he dead?"
"He certainly was dead back then, but the current him isn't the one from back then.
I suspect he's a stowaway from another slice universe, just like Jie Shu. As for his purpose..."
Cheng Shi told Zhen Xin everything he understood about Jie Shu and about running into Jie Shu in the Real Universe. Zhen Xin listened, pondered for a mont, then said gravely:
"How can Jie Shu's objective be the complete opposite of what we're working toward?
If the attention Void has cast upon you really is the world's answer, and you're also the 'sacrifice' to be offered to the Creator, then they should be looking for a world that must have you in it and ensuring the sacrifice's integrity.
Only that way would they have any chance of surviving the Creator's experint, right?
So why are they looking for a world without you?
That doesn't sound like the judgnt or choice a Folly believer who knows about the Real Universe and can cross spaceti barriers would make.
Unless..."
At that, Zhen Xin's gaze flickered. She lowered her eyes and fell silent.
But Cheng Shi had already understood what she ant.
'Unless Fate's sacrifice is simply wrong. Unless the current predetermined course isn't the answer that saves the world from disaster, but rather an accelerant that breeds greater terror and hastens the world's collapse!'
'Otherwise, a wise man would never desperately seek a world without the "answer."'
At the thought, both of them fell into silence.
Of course, whether this deduction held remained to be seen. A wise man, however wise, was still mortal. Jie Shu's vision might not reach as far as the gods'. Yet the implication behind it was extraordinarily thought-provoking.
Cheng Shi laughed self-deprecatingly, rubbing his nose:
"Before, I was afraid of being the answer, and equally afraid of not being the answer.
But after going through the Real Universe, I've gained a lot of new insight.
Whether or not I'm Fate's answer, the predetermined answer, or—if I may be so arrogant—this world's answer... none of that matters.
What matters is that I'll write my own answer with my own hands.
A clown's job is to entertain the audience onstage. But before I can entertain them, I have to entertain myself first.
Only when I can laugh out loud will they laugh even louder.
As for how to entertain the audience... the gods don't get to decide that. Only I do!
The Fun God is also accelerating the predetermined course. Both mbers of Void have clearly reached a consensus on this. I can't read his mind, so I have no choice but to put him in the 'enemy camp' as well.
Miss Magician, the Joker's playbook needs to change. The Fun God may not be protecting us at all—he may be our 'enemy' too.
And so is Fate.
Heh. Destiny—sotis it really is that strange.
I never imagined a day would co when the Joker and the Destined Ones would beco sothing like the Torchbearers—entities standing against the gods.
Of course, this is just my wishful thinking. Whether the mbers of the Joker are willing to defy the so-called predetermined path alongside ... I'll probably have to ask each of them one by one.
No ti like the present. Now that you know what's on my mind—stay or go, it's entirely up to you."
The phrase "entirely up to you" made Zhen Xin's eyebrow quirk upward.
She tilted her head, studying the resolute look in Cheng Shi's eyes. The deceiver before her felt completely different from the one Zhen Yi had once fooled—as though he'd undergone a total rebirth.
Back then, Cheng Shi had been crafty and clever, but he'd possessed nothing close to the ttle and courage he displayed now.
They had both been cautious, but the old Cheng Shi wore his wariness on his sleeve, while the current Cheng Shi buried all his anxiety about the future deep inside. At least when speaking his mind aloud, he was utterly resolute.
As for whether that resolve was genuine or whether he'd deceived even himself... it didn't matter. Either way was fine.
With that thought, Zhen Xin's lips curled into a radiant smile.
"Why not?
Otherwise, wouldn't this ga be far too short on fun?"
...
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