“Have wandering troupes been into mask performances for a long time now?”
Vyea was also watching the performance on the stage, but unlike Jasmine, whose eyelashes were twinkling as she watched with great interest, she wasn’t particularly interested in a show she had already seen several times.
Even if the water-based performance effects were better and more vivid with the help of the rainy day.
A cloud of mist condensed on the hand Vyea used to hold her umbrella, but her other hand was holding Jasmine, so she couldn’t reach out to brush away the ice-cold mist.
Looking at the mother and daughter who stood motionlessly as if they had taken root on the spot, the Black Cat in the bag meowed twice in resignation, but not a single person was willing to turn back and look at it.
As the performance reached its climax, the cheers from the surrounding area rose like wave after wave, making the rainwater tremble.
The Black Cat blinked helplessly. All it could see was an endless wall of people. Its faint meowing was drowned out by the thunderous applause before it could even reach Vyea’s ears.
For a moment, sadness welled up from its heart, feeling that the joys and sorrows of humans and Demons were truly different.
A chill swept over, and the Black Cat shrank its head. It saw the entire Rain Curtain in the sky frozen solid!
At the same time, the crowd erupted with the loudest roar yet! They immediately began to surge toward the center of the stage.
Vyea, squeezed by the frenzied crowd, frowned. She quickly pulled Jasmine close and whispered, “Are you hungry? I’ll take you to get something delicious. The show is over.”
“Okay, Mother.” Jasmine turned her head to look at Vyea. Her eyelashes trembled slightly, and her large eyes curved like crescent moons.
The performance was great—wonderful.
It was even better with Mother here—I love it.
In an instant, Jasmine suddenly felt that being kicked out of the Demon King City by the other Demon Race wasn’t such a big deal after all.
***
Someone fell in the flow of the crowd, but the people behind didn’t care at all, continuing to squeeze forward. Those with bloodshot eyes looked as if they wanted to pull their very souls out.
Even the knights and patrol soldiers responsible for maintaining order threw down their weapons and joined the fray.
“Something’s not right.”
Vyea picked Jasmine up and held her against her chest, whispering a warning, “Hold me tight, Jasmine. No matter what happens later, you can’t let go, okay?”
“Yes, yes.” Jasmine nodded repeatedly. Detecting the seriousness in her mother’s tone, she also broke away from the cheerful and relaxed atmosphere, clutching Vyea tightly and becoming alert.
Accompanied by Troupe Leader Philancon, who was performing the Billowing Waves Troupe’s specialty, Ice Settling Clearing Snow, he waved his hand and scattered things into the crowd. The crowd instantly reached a boiling point.
“Ladies and gentlemen! Happy festival! Every single audience member gets a participation prize gemstone! Don’t rush!”
Seeing the crowd below turning into screaming, shoving monkeys, the bearded man couldn’t help but reveal a hidden smirk. He struck while the iron was hot, raising his arms and shouting to make the atmosphere even more intense.
“Alright, ladies and gentlemen! Next is the third prize! 100 slots for magic scrolls worth 1,000 gold coins!”
*Swish!* Philancon threw the expensive parchment scrolls into the crowd, triggering even louder cheers!
At the same time, the spotlights on the stage moved frantically, looking like a crazed, rhythmic disco.
“Second prize! Second prize!”
“Throw it here! Over here!”
Those who hadn’t grabbed a prize were flushed with anger, screaming at the bearded man on the stage.
“Ladies and gentlemen, don’t rush! Ten slots for the second prize—magic items worth 10,000 gold coins!”
Philancon snapped his fingers. Ten actors wearing painted clown masks carried up ten wooden boxes. At the bearded man’s command, the ten wooden boxes containing magic items were pushed into the screaming crowd.
“A great victory for the Human Race! On such a day worth celebrating, wouldn’t it be a pity if there wasn’t a special reward worthy of being remembered by history?”
The bearded man’s voice was like a heavy bell. Even though the scene was a mess, his voice could still echo in everyone’s ears! It was like a mysterious divine voice!
People with bloodshot eyes began to climb onto the stage. The bearded man didn’t stop them or retreat. He opened his arms, and his fat body actually started a ridiculous dance in the center of the stage! The ten masked actors surrounded him like they were surrounding their own god.
“The Special Prize is about to be drawn! The Special Prize is being drawn!” The bearded man laughed bizarrely. All the spotlights on the stage flickered out, falling into darkness.
The people suddenly plunged into a dark environment were lost and confused, momentarily losing their targets.
“Ladies and gentlemen. There is only one slot for the Special Prize—one priceless Divine Miracle. This cannot be exchanged for cash.”
The bearded man spoke in a low voice in the darkness.
*Bang!*
Thousands of spotlights turned on again, dispelling the darkness on the stage. However, the fanatical crowd stood frozen in place as if a bucket of cold water had been dumped over them.
“Huh?” The Black Cat let out a confused meow.
In the next moment, the intense beams of light from thousands of converging lamps made the Black Cat squint. Vyea, located at the center of the spotlights, was also stunned for a moment. Then, she slowly raised her head, meeting the gaze of the bearded man on the stage.
The bearded man took off the small half-mask on his face and bowed deeply toward Vyea.
“Respected Special Prize winner, please, come onto the stage to receive your prize.”
“Sorry, I’m not interested.”
After Vyea finished speaking, she adjusted her collar and then turned to leave without hesitation.
“You cannot leave.”
The audience members who had previously been watching the performance now seemed to have been brainwashed. One by one, they spontaneously stood in front of Vyea.
“Mother…”
“It’s fine, don’t be afraid.”
Vyea smiled as she turned around, looking back at the bearded man. Her expression had returned to a cold calm.
“You’re with those Masked Men.”
“Please, come onto the stage to receive your prize.”
The bearded man bowed respectfully, looking perfectly normal, yet he was like a venomous snake coiled there. Once prey stepped into his territory, he would deliver a fatal blow.
‘Is that prey me?’
Besides the anger in her heart, Vyea found it more amusing.
One or two of them… whenever they wanted to come find death was fine, but why did they have to choose the time she was out with her daughter for a meal?
‘Do they really think I’m some soft target?’
Suddenly, Vyea laughed. She glanced around the surroundings and looked at the bearded man again.
“I’ll ask you one question. If you answer correctly, I’ll go up and receive the prize.”
The bearded man didn’t speak, still maintaining his bowing posture as if acknowledging Vyea’s question.
“How did you confirm my tracks and identity?” Vyea asked.
“The world is the board, and the nine branches correspond.”
Philancon didn’t care if what Vyea said was true or false, answering tentatively, “Everything in the world has its foundation. It isn’t difficult to trace things back to their source. Moreover, it seems you were quite confident in the defenses of the Human Race’s cities and had no intention of hiding your tracks. As long as one puts in a little heart, one can find a distinguished guest like you.”
“Thanks for the information.”
Vyea took a step back with a relaxed smile. Her figure vanished amidst the surroundings of hundreds or thousands of people.
**[Authority Combination — No. 4: Divine Travel + No. 6: Divine Hiding]**
“This move is called ‘Without a Trace.’ Wait to be wanted by the whole world, you bunch of trash…”
Vyea’s light laughter dissipated between heaven and earth.
On the stage, the bearded man’s face instantly turned very ugly. He even had an urge to put his mask back on.
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