The signpost on the left read:
“Taking this path will transform you into a mermaid swimming underwater. (Automatically revert upon leaving the Aquarium)”
The signpost on the right read:
“Take this path for a happy tour of the Aquarium!”
Obviously, the left path meant becoming a mermaid and exploring the entire Dungeon underwater, while the right path was just the normal route through the Dungeon.
Which one should she choose?
Su Luo hesitated.
This was an Aquarium Dungeon, and clearly, transforming into a mermaid would probably be advantageous.
But the Little Boy had distinctly said the right path was luckier.
Su Luo didn’t think the Little Boy was lying; she could see the sincerity in his expression at that time.
Yet reason told her to take the left path.
This put Su Luo in a difficult spot—she was secretly a person with a fear of making choices.
Yun Feibai noticed Su Luo’s hesitation and decisively said, “Take the right path!”
Su Luo nodded and asked, “Why are you so sure?”
Yun Feibai smiled calmly and replied, “Given how deceptive this Dungeon is, you can’t rely on logic here. Think about it—if you hadn’t had the Little Boy’s hint, would you hesitate to pick the left path?”
Su Luo nodded; she already understood.
As expected, Yun Feibai continued, “Since everyone thinks that way, wouldn’t having these two paths be pointless for the Dungeon?”
In conclusion, he declared, “So the left path must have a problem. The Little Boy didn’t lie to us.”
Su Luo admired him and nodded in agreement.
“You make a good point; I was overthinking it.”
The two of them then set off down the right path.
Along the way, they chatted.
Yun Feibai said, “Earlier, I looked back and saw that the Little Boy was packing up—looks like he’s leaving.”
Su Luo thought for a moment and guessed, “He stopped singing as soon as he got the flower? Then maybe this flower either lets him rest for a while or maybe it lets him leave here forever.”
Yun Feibai nodded, “If it’s the latter, then this flower must be very important to the staff here. So we should save our last flower for a critical moment.”
Su Luo nodded, “Not only that, but if a five-yuan rose is this useful, then the hamburger and doll must be even more valuable!”
This was quite the unexpected bonus!
Soon, they finished the sightseeing route.
Unexpectedly, there was yet another fork in the road.
Both paths stretched out of sight, but this time, without hesitation, the two went right again.
After walking for about an hour, they came across a circus.
At the top of the tent were several huge, oddly shaped characters—”Mermaid Circus.”
Perfect, it matched the Aquarium’s theme.
The circus stretched across the entire road and obviously couldn’t be bypassed.
The two exchanged a glance and headed toward it.
The circus gates were closed, with a wooden sign hanging on it.
Written in childish chalk handwriting was: “Performance in Progress.”
Well, the two resignedly waited by the gate, and more people gradually arrived behind them.
After an hour, the tightly closed doors finally opened from the inside.
A man with a mustache resembling Mario’s smiled at them and said, “Welcome to the Mermaid Circus! You’ve all been waiting a long time, haven’t you? Please come in!”
Everyone streamed inside.
Once the seats were filled, the doors were shut again.
The Man flushed with excitement, said, “Hello everyone, I’m your host today, Leiska. I’m sure you’ve all been eagerly awaiting our circus performance!”
Su Luo silently scoffed, “Who the hell is looking forward to this show?”
And she wasn’t even exaggerating—only the dead or those wanting to die would look forward to this performance.
Leiska kept talking on stage, “Our circus has long been renowned across the Floating Continent, and tickets are worth a fortune. You’re truly lucky to watch our performance for free.”
“As everyone knows, the most anticipated act is, of course, our mermaid show! She will make her grand finale appearance. Now then, let’s begin this carnival feast!”
Leiska’s speech was full of spittle, passionately delivered with intense enthusiasm.
Yet Su Luo felt nothing but amusement.
This speech satisfied her perfectly.
Why?
Because it actually revealed a lot of information.
First, “Floating Continent.”
Su Luo had previously been to the Cat and Mouse Instance, which was set in the Zodiac Continent, but this Dungeon was on another continent entirely.
This showed the system quests spanned many worlds.
Next was the keyword “free.”
A circus with tickets worth a fortune couldn’t possibly be free to watch.
So the Aquarium and the Circus must have some kind of under-the-table arrangement.
Why?
The circus performed inside the Aquarium, and if the Aquarium charged admission, part of that money would go to the circus as a ticket fee.
But he said they came for free, meaning the Aquarium didn’t pay the circus.
So why would the circus still come?
There must be a benefit they absolutely needed.
At that point, one had to consider the commonality between the Aquarium and the Circus—they both had “mermaid” in their names.
Su Luo made a bold hypothesis: ‘the Aquarium provided mermaids for the Circus, and the Circus attracted visitors for the Aquarium. It was a mutually beneficial arrangement’, she thought.
Another thing: since they were watching for free, Leiska should have been hostile toward them, but Su Luo saw excitement in his eyes.
What kind of excitement was it?
Su Luo racked her brains for a nicer word—something like a starving wolf spotting fat lambs.
But they obviously had no money and weren’t even worthy as prey.
So what could the Circus gain from them?
While Su Luo pondered, the circus performance began.
The first act was a magician.
The magician looked like any common magician—wearing a black tailcoat, a tall top hat, a mysterious expression on his face, and holding a Magic Wand.
The magician smiled and said, “My magic requires some cooperation.”
Even without thinking, Su Luo knew this act wouldn’t be good—at least, not friendly to the players.
“Who’s lucky enough to perform with me? Ah, are you all so excited you’re about to faint? I feel so sorry thinking some of you will cry because you weren’t chosen. But alas, I only have one spot—I can’t let you all have me! Ah!”
He sounded regretful but a little proud, as if the crowd had already started fighting over him.
Su Luo silently thought: ‘these circus people are really narcissistic. Based on this performance alone, she would give him zero points—no fear of hurting his pride’.
The NPCs and players were easy to distinguish.
Most NPCs wore indifferent expressions; a few crazed female fans screamed from the crowd, “Choose me! Choose me! Ahhh! I want to perform with you!”
They really were this narcissistic magician’s diehard fans.
Su Luo felt her worldview collapsing—these days, anyone could have fans.
In stark contrast, the players all wished they could turn invisible to avoid being noticed by the magician.
It was like a teacher calling roll before a death test, and you didn’t study at all last night because you were gaming.
Others might not know, but that was Su Luo’s exact feeling.
Maybe because she was thinking ill of him, the magician skipped over the crazed fans and looked meaningfully toward Su Luo.
Su Luo was startled and activated her invisibility technique, silently chanting, “Can’t see me, can’t see me, can’t see me…”
But just as she feared, the magician smiled and pointed at her, saying, “It’s decided—you!”
“Damn!” Su Luo whispered, still hoping he meant someone else nearby as she glanced around.
But the magician crushed her hope, “Oh, it’s the girl looking around everywhere—you’re the lucky one. Cry for your luck! No one will blame you; excitement is natural.”
Su Luo really wanted to cry—but definitely not from joy.
She turned pale and stood up.
“It’s an honor to be chosen.”
While she spoke, Yun Feibai quickly handed her a rose from behind.
His face wasn’t any better.
Out of all the people, he had to pick his teammate—what luck!
Su Luo tightly gripped the rose, looking much better.
With this rose, at least she wouldn’t have to worry this time.
She went up on stage, and the magician asked, “Have you seen the rabbit act?”
Su Luo knew what he meant—the classic magic trick where a rabbit is pulled out of a hat and then put back.
Though common, it was still fun.
She nodded, and the magician grinned, “You know it? That’s great! In this magic, you’ll turn into the rabbit. Excited? Thrilled?”
If this were a normal magic show, Su Luo thought, she probably would be excited.
In all her very limited experience watching performances, she had never been called on stage before!
But for this magic show, Su Luo only wanted to keep her indifferent expression and slap him hard.
Of course, that was just wishful thinking.
Instead, reality smiled sweetly as she said obediently, “Looking forward to it, very excited.”