The Magician released the silver chain of the brass pendulum. The pendulum hung a few centimeters above the parchment with the question written on it, motionless like a corpse.
"Damn it..." He flicked the obsidian at the top of the pendulum with his finger, but the pendulum remained lifeless.
This wasn't like a failed divination... The Magician was a bit puzzled; after so many years as a Diviner, he had never encountered such a situation.
The curtains suddenly moved without wind, the canvas fabric brushing against the back of his neck. As the Magician instinctively reached back, the pendulum in his right hand began to spin wildly clockwise without warning.
"Damn it!" His flick of the wrist was too forceful, and the pendulum knocked over the parchment with the question in front of him.
The Magician froze in front of the chair, watching the pendulum slip from his grasp and roll towards the edge of the table.
"This..."
"Captain!"
The Magician snapped out of his surprise and looked at the person at the door.
It was the youngest Diviner in the team.
"Captain, there's a situation." The Seer's expression was not quite right.
"What's wrong?"
"You... just follow me and you'll know."
Seeing his subordinate's demeanor, the Magician said nothing, but followed the other party to the outside of a small tent.
This was the Clown's room.
"He hasn't come out since yesterday afternoon."
"When I passed by here just now, my spiritual intuition was triggered, and I was a bit worried..."
"Hmm..."
"The surrounding spirituality does feel a bit off."
Could he have lost control...? The Magician looked at the door in front of him.
Although it was a tent, it still had a basic frame structure, so unlike ordinary tents, it had a basic door structure.
His Clown potion had already been digested, so why would a problem suddenly appear...? The Magician couldn't quite figure it out.
"Kid, are you there?"
"Kid..."
Seeing no response, the Magician's expression darkened. He turned his head and gave a look to the Diviner beside him.
'Be on alert.'
The Diviner nodded, understanding the Captain's meaning.
She pulled out a pistol from her pocket, aimed it at the door in front of her, and prepared to shoot.
Just then, a light cough suddenly came from behind the door, and the Clown said hoarsely:
"Boss, I'm here..."
The Magician tried to calm himself and asked in an unhurried tone:
"What's wrong with you? Why haven't you come out yet?"
"The performance is about to begin."
The Clown's voice was a bit weak.
"I... I'm not feeling well."
The Magician closed his eyes and remained silent for a few seconds, then said softly.
"Not feeling well? Are you sick? Do you need me to take a look?"
"No! No need, I'll be fine after resting a bit longer." The Clown's voice suddenly became panicked.
"It's nothing, as your Captain, I have an obligation to ensure your health. Let me take a look."
"It's nothing, Boss, no need to trouble you, I'm not a child anymore..."
The Magician didn't listen to the other party, directly placed his hand on the doorknob, intending to force the door open.
"Click!"
The lock was already broken; in front of the power of a Sequence 7 Beyonder, these ordinary locks were useless.
The Magician continued to exert force, intending to push the door open directly, but the door only opened a crack before it couldn't be pushed any further.
Clearly, someone was blocking the door from behind.
"Boss, you guys go, I'm really fine."
At this point, he pleaded fearfully:
"Today is the last performance, I won't mess up at this time, really, you guys go first, I can handle it myself."
The Magician released the doorknob and changed his tone.
"You know my temper. What exactly is wrong with you today? Let me take a look quickly."
Listening to the Magician's words, the Clown became even more distraught. He trembled and said:
"Boss, I'm sorry, I was too greedy, I really didn't expect it to turn out like this."
"You... could it be..." The Magician's expression turned very ugly; he had guessed something.
"That's right, while you weren't here, I secretly went to look at that notebook."
A series of sobs came from behind the door.
"My promotion is ruined, I'm a bit unwilling. I know that notebook is related to a high-level Beyonder Pathway, so I..."
"I tried one of the rituals inside, wanting to see if I could obtain a potion formula from the ritual."
"But I didn't expect that it would... would..."
The Clown was already sobbing and couldn't speak.
"It's nothing, there's still a way, you're still conscious, which means it hasn't reached that severe a stage."
The Magician tried his best to comfort the other party.
Suddenly, the Magician felt the force holding the door shut being removed.
He reached out and pushed gently, and the door opened directly.
What came into view was a humanoid creature over two meters tall, with all its limb joints unnaturally twisted backward, as if they had been forcibly broken.
"Ah..." The Diviner beside him covered her mouth in surprise.
The Monster's head suddenly lifted, looked at the two people at the door, and slowly spoke:
"Boss, you saw it too..."
"I... I've become a Monster!"
...
"What a persistent nuisance," Lan'erwusi, mixed in the crowd, cursed under his breath as he looked at the nearby Punishers.
He was just about to continue blending deeper into the crowd when someone grabbed his arm.
"Who!" Lan'erwusi instinctively turned his head. He had thought it was the Punishers who had found him, but he never expected it to be someone he had never dreamed of.
The one who grabbed him was a pregnant woman.
Meigao Ousi!
How could she be here?
Lan'erwusi's face was filled with disbelief.
"I knew it was you!" Meigao Ousi clung tightly to his arm.
"Let go quickly! You've got the wrong person." Lan'erwusi tried to pull his arm out of her grasp.
"No, don't, I knew it was you!" Meigao Ousi's face was filled with grief and indignation.
Originally, she had only come to this Circus to relieve her sadness.
Her baby also seemed to love it here, constantly urging her to come.
Even she herself hadn't expected to meet Lan'erwusi here.
If not for getting close to confirm, she wouldn't have thought that this disheveled person in front of her was once that elegant gentleman.
But since they had met, it was fate, and she would not let him leave no matter what.
"You..." Noticing the eyes of the surrounding crowd turning towards them, Lan'erwusi became anxious; the Punishers were still around.
Damn it, how did this woman find this place?
Lan'erwusi felt his throat tighten. He knew he couldn't attract attention at this moment, so he suddenly grinned and patted Meigao Ousi's hand in a coaxing tone:
"My dear, there's a bit of a misunderstanding between us.
My business ran into problems, and I didn't leave on purpose. Can you let go of me first, please?
I'll explain everything to you later."
"No, you have to explain it clearly today." Meigao Ousi stood her ground.
Lan'erwusi's expression turned cold; he hadn't expected this easily deceived woman to be so persistent.
"Damn it!"
Time passed by minute by minute,
Perhaps watching a spectacle is human nature; more and more people gathered around.
The surrounding Punishers had already noticed the situation here and were gradually approaching.
Realizing that he couldn't escape, Lan'erwusi hardened his heart, stepped forward, and directly seized Meigao Ousi.
"Don't come any closer! Don't force me!"