Chapter 210: The Clown’s Stage Play
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
At the neck, rough stitches connected the beautiful head to the body of a well-dressed man.
The clown looked up and saw a slender figure sitting not far away, with a horse’s head sewn onto its body.
“Tap, tap, tap…” echoed the sound of high heels inside the castle.
A figure appeared, dressed in a princess’s gown with a crooked crown on its head, resembling the clown.
The clown suddenly realized that the crowned clown in front of him was himself.
As a circus clown, despite working hard and entertaining the audience, he was never really respected. Anyone could play the clown with some makeup and a wig, and no one cared about the person beneath.
The only person who spoke to him was the female clown, his partner. But everything changed when the circus owner’s son returned from the city, bringing with him the concept of “stage plays.”
The female clown became the princess, and the prince, naturally, was the circus owner’s son. The stage play was a hit, and the clown was part of it, still the perpetual side character.
Then one night, after drowning his sorrows in cheap beer at a bar, the clown had a dream. Waking from it, he returned to the circus, cheerful and diligent, even earning the boss’s praise.
On the day of the stage play performance, the princess, played by the female clown, was captured by the villain, played by the clown, and taken to a castle. The brave prince, portrayed by the circus owner’s son, fought his way through monsters to rescue her.
In the castle, the clown raised an axe high. According to the script, the prince was supposed to save the princess in time.
But this was the clown’s stage play.
The wooden prop axe was replaced with a real one. The clown beheaded the princess, blood spraying everywhere. At first, the audience thought it was part of the show, but they screamed in horror when the clown turned on the prince.
In the chaos, the clown beheaded a horse and sewed its head onto the princess’s body. Holding the princess’s corpse, his face twisted into an exaggerated laugh, he said, “Now, it’s time for you to wake up.”
The clown in the princess’s dress and crown spoke to Yang Huan.
The clown, living in numb pain, could only awaken his true self by unleashing his suffering onto others.
A gold coin appeared in front of Yang Huan.
The clown in the game and Yang Huan in reality simultaneously picked up the coin from the table.
The coin spun in the air, landing with a clear “ding,” showing its face up.
Yang Huan burst into laughter.
“Massacre at Qianhui International Building!”
“An entire floor of people, all dead!”
“Yang Huan, an employee at XX Advertising Company…suspected to be infected by the ‘Clown.”‘
“The crime scene was gruesome, everyone was beheaded.”
“When our team arrived, Yang Huan was sitting amidst the bodies, his face skinned, holding a game box in his arms.”
“How did this black disc circulate in the market?!”
“We investigated the local markets. The shopkeepers have no recollection of this disc…seems like their thoughts were tampered with.”
“Pack that disc properly, don’t look into its eyes! There’s something wrong with it.”
Inside the Ancheng Tianshu Administration office, staff members analyzed the situation anxiously.
The “Clown” was the latest discovered taboo creature under the dominion of “The Golden Throne.” The Clown’s infection ability was strong, capable of eroding the real world through movies, games, and novels.
“Another incident?”
Below Qianhui International Building, Lu Xuan, who was shopping with Cheng Lingzhu and passing by, furrowed his brows.
The Judicial Division had cordoned off the area, sealing the floor. However, with his divine sense, Lu Xuan discerned the problem inside.
Blood was everywhere across the floor, with over thirty people dead. The perpetrator appeared as a skeletal clown. Despite lacking flesh on its face, it seemed to be laughing maniacally.
Lu Xuan pondered the need to make contact with the local authorities. With the warship’s drive core still missing, it might be prudent to deal with these Taboo Masters first.
He thought of working with Yuan Xing’s officials — they provide information, and he takes action. This was akin to the saying, “Learn the Dao in the morning, and it’s okay to die in the evening.”
With this thought, Lu Xuan manipulated his magic, creating a spatial rift. While the Tianshu Administration’s personnel were busy at the scene, he discreetly procured the “evidence,” namely the clown game disc, along with a gold coin.
“Game rating systems are a good thing,” Lu Xuan nodded slightly.
Even in its decline, Dayan, once a beacon of civilization on Yuan Xing, was stronger than the developing nations of the Eastern Continent.
This led to a discussion about Dayan’s political system.
Four hundred years ago, there were twelve countries on Dayan’s land, constantly at war. The invasion by the “Sacred Tara Empire” from the south led to the creation of the Dayan Alliance by the twelve kings to resist the invaders.
After winning the war, the Alliance continued its cooperation in politics and economics, eventually realizing the benefits of unity. Two hundred years ago, the Dayan Empire was established amidst struggles and Eastern philosophical influences.
Dayan’s political system was complex due to its history. The emperor, rotating among the twelve families, was more of a figurehead. Real power lay with the Grand Elder of the Senate.
Interestingly, the emperor and the Grand Elder could not be from the same family, a rule deliberately set during the empire’s formation.
In addition to the emperor and Grand Elder, there was the Prime Minister, the highest position a commoner could achieve, inheriting the functions of ancient prime ministers.
Lu Xuan remained neutral toward these cultural, technological, and political aspects. After all, the entire civilization of Yuan Xing was spawned from a fragment of a high-level civilization’s warship core…
Thus, sometimes Lu Xuan felt an unreal sense of detachment when dealing with Yuan Xing.
Inserting the clown game disc, the skeletal clown icon appeared. Yang Huan’s saved games were gone, requiring a fresh start.
For Lu Xuan, this was no issue. With Cheng Lingzhu by his side, he felt no stress.
The in-game clown was a mere bully to mortals. Soon, Lu Xuan would bring it out and end it with a single strike.
Quickly reaching the final level, the in-game clown tossed the coin.
Real-world Lu Xuan did the same.
The clown grinned.
“Keke…”
The laugh was cut short, stuck in its throat, as it realized the coin landed with the black rose side up.
In reality, the coin in Lu Xuan’s hand also showed the black rose side up.
This was impossible. The coin’s landing was controlled by the clown.
“Seek fortune and avoid calamity, don’t you understand?” Lu Xuan chuckled.
Defiantly, the clown tossed the coin again, still landing black rose up. This continued for a hundred times until the clown let out a shriek, clutching its head.
Lu Xuan considered this a hidden Easter egg or an alternative ending.
He snapped his fingers, and the clown’s body in the game exploded like fireworks, meeting its bad ending..
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