Chapter 1823: Chapter 1820: Magician
Han Dong was unaware that [Young Master - Gracy] had been chosen by the clown,
currently observing the "Black Card" reward issued by the circus (raising his head every four seconds to glance at the stage).
1. The card’s material is of absolute premium quality, something Han Dong has never encountered, with a tactile sensation of fine granules, seemingly constructed through micrometer-scale dodecahedral grains.
Viewed from different angles, the different grain faces refract a unique luster, mysterious and profound.
It can even transmit a vast amount of information through a special conversion mode between the cards... or rather, the card itself is a special hard drive using special grains as a medium, with different faces refracting as output ports.
2. The particles making up the Black Card resemble burning coal, constantly emitting black smoke, seemingly flashy, but this black smoke can effectively shield external perception.
Han Dong could use the Demon Eye to explore its mysteries, but prolonged investigation would make his eyes feel a sharp pain, and grains would even grow between his eyeballs... attempting to remove them would result in black liquid splashing out, making recovery very difficult.
3. On the back of the Black Card, through the fixed arrangement and refraction effect between the grains, is a symbolic Eye mark representing the Dark Circus.
When observed from different angles, the Eye appears in different states, and the shape of the pupil changes.
"Does this Black Card symbolize some kind of status in the circus? Or some kind of membership card? It’s directly given to me without any explanation... is that deliberate?
Though the Black Card can be deciphered through the [Demon Eye], it would also be exposed.
Forget it, the subsequent performances or when all shows conclude, there should be an explanation."
Han Dong vaguely guessed something, temporarily tucking the card into his pocket.
While removing stitches from his torn facial wound, he was also realigning his spine... quietly waiting for the next performance to arrive.
...
[Backstage - Circus Member Restroom]
"Performance Sequence"
The circus has no strict requirements for ’sequence’, only asking the team members to complete high-quality performances within [three days], regardless of who performs first or last.
Members generally decide the order through drawing lots.
For instance, Dance Teacher Alia drew the "1" lot, a relatively relaxed opening slot, and Director Christian drew sequence "2".
The next person to draw sequence "3" was Clown Bajins.
As the stage play concluded, the clown turned suddenly towards the shadowy corners of the rest area, where a dark figure wearing a tall hat seemed to stand... not just looking dark, it exuded an overall dark halo.
"Mr. Lebron, I’d like to discuss something with you about swapping our program sequences, how about it?"
Generally,
with the clown’s reputation in the circus and his completely neutral, pleasing persona, other members would agree to this sequence swap request.
However, Mr. Lebron had drawn the "closing ceremony".
Moreover, his program for today was perfect for the closing performance, promising extra rewards and holiday if wrapped up perfectly.
Seeing that Mr. Lebron in the corner didn’t respond,
the clown raised his head, opened his mouth wide...
Swish! His entire arm slid smoothly down his throat into his body.
Grind, grind~ The sound of meat being squeezed echoed from the clown’s mouth.
After a minute of searching and exploring, he finally found a long-lost item deep within, pulling it out along with bloody tendrils, crushed tissues, and accidentally broken organs.
Once the clown used his tongue to clean the grime, a remarkably exquisite ancient figure was revealed.
"Deal."
A gloomy voice sounded from the corner.
Mr. Lebron removed his tall hat and reached an arm into the brim... like a magician’s trick, the next moment he pulled out the ancient figure along with the clown’s hand grasping it.
Drip, drip~
The black and white intermixed blood dripped continuously; the clown’s hand was completely severed due to the earlier trick.
Lebron removed the mistakenly transfigured hand, first pocketing the sculpture, then waving the clown’s severed hand in greeting: "Sorry, my magic still needs refinement... let me reattach it for you."
The clown Bajins was not angry; instead, he generously waved his arm,
"No need~ the hand comes as a gift for you too.
The next performance will start in fifteen minutes, Mr. Lebron, please prepare to take the stage... I personally am eagerly anticipating your magic show."
When the clown Bajins turned around,
his left face (white base with black makeup) was crying grievously, as if the recent hand loss caused significant pain.
His right face (black base with white makeup) could only protrude a finger-like tongue from his mouth, gently caressing the left cheek for slight comfort, stabilizing his emotions and preventing a balance loss.
...
An interval of half an hour passed with no lights or any hosts appearing.
The venue was utterly silent.
No one knew what the upcoming third performance would be or how many unfortunate audience members would be summoned on stage.
"Here it comes! It feels unsettling... there’s no need to go on stage voluntarily this time."
Gazing at the darkened area of the stage,
instinct told him that the next performer would be entirely different from the previous two.
The Dance Teacher and Director could actually be labeled as ’good’, while for the next unseen entity, Han Dong could already sense a strong ’malice’.
No black mist emerged, only faint, dim lighting covered the stage.
A man wearing a tall hat and dressed in a black tailcoat walked barefoot onto the stage... his mere appearance terrified the audience, who silently prayed not to be chosen for the next act.
1. The reason for his barefoot lack of shoes was his feet had been twisted into spiral cone shapes, walking in the form of flesh spikes.
2. Multiple body parts were completely severed, with ankles, knees, waist, wrists, and other areas connected by dense red flesh strands; even his eyes were completely gouged, replaced by flesh strands.
Closed off by truth implies these were traits he was born with.
This man is precisely one of the circus’s headliners, the [Magician].
After a ceremonial bow to the audience, the magician began taking out large magic apparatuses one by one from his tall hat, including:
A "black wardrobe" adorned with strange runes,
A "sealed water tank" filled with green liquid,
A "body segmentation device" that resembled an operating table, equipped with various cutting saws,
And an execution-like "guilotine".
As these large props were set on stage, waves of death and fear permeated the venue.