Long Shiyu gleefully held the Zaun flower, which swayed in his hand with an odd rhythm and a smug expression.
Shen Zhaomu could sense that after that bizarre theatrical performance ended, the psychic energy of the surrounding exotic creatures weakened considerably.
An invisible barrier had been lifted, and the path forward opened. The air was filled once again with fluttering streamers and circus tickets, all adorned with exaggerated clown faces.
They continued forward, with the intimidating Behemoth shivering and trailing behind, not daring to get close to Long Shiyu.
The surrounding scenes no longer repeated, and they quickly reached the next area.
As they moved deeper into the construction zone, the surroundings grew cruder. The floor was pocked and uneven. A few deactivated robots stood by the side, donning cute patterned tall hats.
The lighting here was dim, and oil lamps floated around Shen Zhaomu, providing illumination.
As they walked, Shen Zhaomu suddenly halted Long Shiyu, sending forth a golden glimmer—
In the darkness, a group of people in black robes continuously kneeled and prayed, chanting verses.
They were the Undertakers.
Another person stood at the front, waving his arms, “Ah! This is surely a sign from the king! The throne is about to awaken, and He will return to the world!”
Cheers erupted from the crowd below.
The leader loudly recited, “O, Mountains of corpses and seas of blood will adorn His throne, and the blood will gush forth to welcome His return.”
Another wave of cheers surged.
Long Shiyu asked Shen Zhaomu, “What on earth are they doing?”
He had wanted to ask ever since he first encountered Will and the Undertakers. These people seemed to revere him, often setting up feasts on long tables for him. But he had never received their offerings, except once when he ate a chicken drumstick and nearly got chased off by them.
Shen Zhaomu patted his shoulder, “Don’t mind them. These people aren’t very bright. What they worship is extremely wicked.”
Long Shiyu: “…”
Long Shiyu: “Sob.” QAQ
Shen Zhaomu was utterly baffled, wondering what he had said wrong this time.
At such moments, he wisely chose to shut up and approached the group, “I’m from the Interstellar Hunter Association. This area has been cordoned off. Please leave.”
He gestured, and the association’s authorization appeared in mid-air, clearly marking that unauthorized personnel must leave the area.
The leader of the group was furious, “Why is it that every time we worship the king, someone interrupts? Wait a moment, you look familiar!” Pointing at Long Shiyu, he exclaimed, “You’ve interrupted our ritual before!”
With fresh grievances piling on old ones, his anger intensified, “Last time, Lord Will intervened, and we spared you. How dare you come back now? Attack, brothers, for the glory of the king!”
Two minutes later, they lay on the ground, bruised and battered.
Shen Zhaomu rolled down his sleeves, casually saying, “Now, can you cooperate with the association and leave?”
The leader pounded the ground in rage, “Damn! I failed to defend the king’s glory.”
Shen Zhaomu ignored him. He surveyed the surroundings. The exit to this construction area was nearby, and the psychic suppression of the exotic creature wasn’t particularly strong—after all, it had just awakened.
But if he forced these people out and aggravated the creature, the situation might deteriorate.
Besides, if they all left…
Shen Zhaomu took in the group:
The vicious mutant Behemoth, the crazed followers of the church, and the innocent Long Shiyu, currently amusing himself with the Zaun flower.
When Long Shiyu caught his gaze, he beamed joyfully.
…How could he possibly leave Long Shiyu alone with these people?
As he pondered, a bright light once again emerged in the sky.
The light converged on a tiny stage, with two small puppets and a child’s voice narrating. Pots of human-faced flowers burst into sharp laughter.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
“Qtfc atf yfjc ugfk, Ajmx vfmlvfv ab milwy la.”
Ktf ybs qeqqfa jrmfcvfv atf yfjc nlcf, ktlif atf jqgbc-mijv wbatfg qeqqfa njclrtfv, gfqijmfv ys qgbqr gfrfwyilcu mibevr.
“Efjmtlcu atf rxs, Ajmx kjr jwjhfv ab olcv la kjr j gfjiw bo uljcar. Cr tf fcafgfv atf uljca’r tbwf, atf uljca revvfcis gfaegcfv. Ajmx delmxis tlv. Ktf uljca rfcrfv rbwfbcf’r qgfrfcmf yea mbeivc’a ibmjaf atf lcagevfg.”
A giant puppet, twice the size of the boy puppet, appeared, pacing around angrily.
Jack hid under the giant’s bed, and once the giant was deep in sleep, snoring bubbles, he stole a bag of gold coins and fled.
The human-faced flowers laughed uproariously, their stems shaking.
“With the gold coins, Jack returned home. His mother was overjoyed. Jack wondered if he could go up again. After all, he had seen a goose that laid only golden eggs and an auto-playing harp in the giant’s house.”
The lights abruptly went out, and like before, the puppets and props fell lifelessly onto the stage.
Circus tickets danced in the air, even more numerous this time, fluttering like a snowstorm.
Shen Zhaomu could sense the exotic creature’s psychic fluctuations. Its source was distinctly emanating from the direction of the Kassand Circus.
It was no longer concealing its awareness of the intruders.
Time was pressing, and any delay would bolster its strength.
In this situation, letting these people wander could be riskier. Reinforcements from the association’s headquarters had just arrived. The command room was in chaos, commanders working tirelessly. It would still take time for the hunter squads to reach this area.
Shen Zhaomu thought for a moment, walked to the surface exit, and triggered a flare gun.
The flare shot brilliantly across the Kassand night sky. He also shared the coordinates and announced over the tactical channel, “Attention all squads, the target location is nearly confirmed. I’m Shen Zhaomu, with 17 civilians here, no casualties.”
After receiving a response, he returned to the group, “Someone will come for you soon. Follow them, and you’ll be safely evacuated.”
The leader of the Undertakers grumbled discontentedly, “You just want to stop us from meeting the king.”
“You can think whatever you want,” Shen Zhaomu said. “You should’ve followed orders and evacuated. I’m not that good of a person. Now, I’m going to take down that beast, and I can’t stay here to protect you. You can choose to wait here for backup, which I believe is the safest choice. But if you don’t want to, you can continue with me, and I’ll do my best to protect you.” He lit a cigarette. “I don’t know what lies ahead. You decide.”
The group hesitated, unsure of what choice to make.
Shen Zhaomu didn’t have the time to waste. He waved to Long Shiyu, “Shiyu, come over.” He didn’t intend to leave Long Shiyu with this motley crew.
Holding the swaying Zaun flower, Long Shiyu approached.
The Zaun flower was in high spirits, screeching, “Fuck your mom, fuck your grandpa!”
They continued down the dark corridor of the construction area, faintly hearing some people following behind.
For a while, only footsteps echoed. Long Shiyu walked beside Shen Zhaomu, engrossed in studying the Zaun flower.
Shen Zhaomu glanced at him. The bowtie he had fixed for him on the carriage was askew again. Re-adjusting it, he sighed, “Why do you always end up in such dangerous places?”
“I was just coming for a late-night snack and then going to work at the circus,” Long Shiyu replied.
“It’s a miracle you’ve survived until now.”
Long Shiyu: “?”
Shen Zhaomu continued, “You haven’t encountered such situations before, have you?”
“Maybe. I don’t really remember,” Long Shiyu pondered.
Since his birth, he had seldom faced what could be called “dire situations”. Even his brethren were respectful and afraid of him.
The only brush with death he recalled was his duel with the old Dragon King. It was a true brawl between beasts, both burning with intent, their blood boiling like magma, fighting to the death.
But that was many years ago.
The corridor stretched on. In the darkness, colorful streamers danced.
From afar, Long Shiyu faintly heard obscure murmurs, “Aka… Akasamo…”
Looking up, he saw nothing between the fluttering streamers.
Shen Zhaomu sensed the psychic energy but couldn’t understand the creature’s language, which, if addressed directly to a king, was considered a challenge.
It had been a long time since Long Shiyu had heard his own name.
He yawned and continued joyfully watching the Zaun flower, subtly wrapping his tail around the princess’s wrist in the dark.
A few individuals in black cloaks trailed behind. Their fanatical faces from earlier were still fresh in memory.
“That’s why I told you not to interact too much with the Undertakers,” Shen Zhaomu warned. “They’re all lunatics. Just look at who they worship.” He tried to heighten Long Shiyu’s caution, “That Dragon King is wicked and cruel. Very scary.”
Wicked and cruel Long Shiyu: “Sob.”
Shen Zhaomu: “…?”
He was confused again.
Perhaps the dragon’s thought process differed from humans, especially in Long Shiyu’s case.
He had no vigilance whatsoever, didn’t flee from danger, seemed weak and could only breathe a little fire, lacked psychic power, and was an unfortunate orphaned dragon.
Shen Zhaomu sighed deeply, feeling the weight of responsibility.
But today wasn’t a good day.
Long Shiyu’s wound throbbed again. The only thing preventing it from reopening was the power of dragon tongue.
The pain intensified. Perhaps it was bleeding.
The dark vest concealed the wound well, but his tail quivered slightly.
Shen Zhaomu turned to him, “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” Long Shiyu’s step remained cheerful, “I’m getting hungry again.”
“We’ll get something to eat once we’re out.”
“Great! I want barbecue.”
“Too much oil, it’s unhealthy.”
“Just an occasional treat. I used to work at a barbecue stand, though I eventually got fired…”
“…Alright then.”
“I want enoki mushrooms, beef and lamb rolls, grilled eggplant, and potato slices…” Long Shiyu’s mind was already filled with the tantalizing aroma of the grilled meat and the sizzling of hot oil. “And it would be great to add some grilled chives.”
“Why not have grilled squid?”
“I’d love that!” Long Shiyu’s eyes lit up. “I love grilled squid.”
Shen Zhaomu chuckled.
It was a peculiar feeling.
Hunting beasts before, whether alone or with others, never felt like this.
This atmosphere was relaxed and joyful, as if they were not headed to a battleground but genuinely going to see a circus performance.
… Of course, he didn’t want to see a certain someone jumping through fiery rings.
Fang Qing stood in the cold wind, cursing, “Damn it, that bastard Shen Zhaomu went in by himself again. I shouldn’t have trusted him.”
“What should we do now?” Song Qianqian asked. “If we wait for the hunter squad, it’ll be another ten minutes before we can move.”
“By then, it’ll be too late,” Fang Qing grumbled. “Didn’t he consider that it would be impossible for him to defeat that creature without the brilliant and valiant me? Today, I’m going in, even if I have to walk.” With that, he tried to cross the caution line set by the association.
“Hold on,” Song Qianqian stopped him, nodding subtly to the side. “We can drive there. There’s a car.”
“What car? Association vehicles have trackers, and we can’t use those…” Fang Qing turned around.
Orca, looking dumbfounded, stood in the cold, holding two bags of vegetables he’d just bought from the supermarket. Next to him was his battered old red car.
Fang Qing: “…”
Orca: “…”
Dropping his vegetables, Orca turned and ran.
Half a minute later, tears nearly forming, he sat in the car, “Alright, alright, I’ll drive in now, sis, please put the gun down.”
Song Qianqian, twirling a heavy handgun, casually took a bubble gum from the car and started chewing, “Let’s go. It’s fate that we met.”
Depressingly, Orca stepped on the gas.
“I just had this car repaired.”
“It’s fine,” Song Qianqian reassured him, blowing a pink bubble. “There’s nothing to fear now.”
Having worked at the association for a long time, Fang Qing, an old hand, directed Orca, skillfully evading the roadblocks set by the association.
The dilapidated car sped through deserted streets, causing the three occupants’ heads to bump wildly against the car’s roof.
All of them felt dizzy. Song Qianqian complained, “Dude, consider upgrading the suspension. Or you’ll end up giving yourself a concussion.”
Fang Qing replied, “After riding this car last time, my neck hurt for days. What’s wrong with you? Are you trying to kill yourself?”
Equally distressed, Orca lamented, “But I didn’t have the money… Wait, what’s that up ahead?”
Song Qianqian urgently tapped his shoulder, “Turn left, turn left!”
“Solid lines, dotted lines, zebra crossings, they’re all life-saving lines.”
“Shut the fuck up and TURN!”
The car swerved into an alley.
From outside, they heard joyful music and the sound of rolling wheels, as lively as the grand opening of a festival.
Bright, colorful lights quickly illuminated the alley.
A decorated float bustled with excitement, adorned with strings of lights and occasional bursts of slender flames from both sides. Zebras, with colorful feathers on their heads, pulled the float in unison.
The driver wore a clown mask and a baggy polka-dot outfit. A bear juggled three balls while dressed monkeys played drums and gongs atop the float.
All three were in awe.
Song Qianqian murmured, “Am I dreaming?”
Having stronger psychic power among them, Orca, after a moment of shock, said, “No, this isn’t real… I can feel the psychic energy. It’s some kind of illusion…”
Further away, fireworks burst beside the Kassand Circus tent.
They exploded brilliantly in the sky, radiating reds, yellows, and greens, illuminating half the district.
Paper tickets began to fall beside the old car. Song Qianqian grabbed one, which turned out to be an admission ticket for the circus.
“Where do you want to go, to death or paradise?”
“Kassand Circus awaits your arrival.”
Glancing at the ticket, Orca remarked, “Hey, they’re giving out tickets? When is it? I want to go.” He was particularly fond of discounts and freebies.
“At three in the morning,” Song Qianqian replied, blowing another pink bubble from her gum.
The bubble popped, and she waved the ticket, “We have half an hour left.”
Author’s Note: One cutesy sob a day: 2/1
Yet another day whereby Brother Shen scolds our cute dragon (?)
The princess really isn’t a slag gong! There’s a reason why he’s obsessed with the Dragon King. It’s not because of a personal vendetta! He’ll bring Long Shiyu to treat his injury~
Poor shiyu is far from wicked and cruel, zhaomu ah 😂
❤
Poor Shiyu i hope his injury gets better… better yet if SZ treats it for him
Poor wicked and cruel shiyu
Oh the princess is the gong! That’s truly shocking but in a good way.
Poor Long Shiyu is wounded in more than one way – wicked and cruel 🥺