novelonline Chapter 3529 The Clowns' Aid
Chapter 3529 The Clowns' Aid
Chapter 3529 The Clowns' Aid
It took a full half minute for the closed corridor to reopen, and the blood remaining on the fleshy walls was slowly being reabsorbed. Although the consequences of being swallowed by this corridor were unknown, it was clear that forcing one through was not a good idea.
"It seems we shouldn't touch those fleshy ropes."
Despite his headache and the slippery, clinging feeling of his clothes, Shad was about to discuss with Winnie how to solve the problem when a completely new voice spoke:
"Mr. Watson, let's take care of this."
Shad turned around and looked back. At the still unhealed opening in the room behind him, three ring sorcerers wearing clown masks and with life rings floating behind them were walking towards them.
The effects of the flesh-corrosion were also affecting them, but the strange clown masks worn by the three men revealed an even more powerful element of miracle. Mr. Ring's holy symbol was branded on the cheeks of the three clown masks, and apart from Mr. Mortis, the other two were high-ring sorcerers, clearly indicating that the higher-ups of the [Clown Troupe] had arrived on the island.
Shad's eyes swept over the human markings above their heads, then he saw a familiar box slung over Mr. Mortis's back:
"I need to verify your identities—how did you get so deep into the [House of the Pseudo-Humans]?"
The clowns understood Shad's caution, and Mr. Mortis explained:
"This is my core ability as a 'clown'. Specifically, with the help of the troupe's secret techniques and my snake molt, I can forcibly intervene in the story that is unfolding, at a certain cost."
We don't need to invade from the outside; we've come directly to your side.
Shad interpreted this as a combination of Mr. Mortis's talent as a candidate and the mysterious power of the [Clown Troupe], suggesting that he could, after learning the details of something, use secret methods to directly access the core of the matter:
"Thank you for coming to my aid. Now I need to reach the door at the end of the corridor."
Shad pointed to the end of the corridor of flesh and blood:
"That's the heart of the 'House of the Fakes,' where the fakes prepared a surprise for me."
Mr. Mortis asked as he put down the box behind him:
"You're not planning to leave?"
Shade shook his head:
"I can't leave even if I wanted to, and besides, I'm really curious about what those fakes have prepared. So, can you help me leave?"
He really wanted the clowns to help carry the two unicorns, which were on the verge of collapse, out of the water, but Mr. Mortis shook his head regretfully:
"We apologize, but as clowns, we can only force our way onto the stage and cannot take anyone else away. This box was brought to you by your friend outside. We can only carry intangible cultural heritage items as stage props. Moreover, we can only stay here for a short time, but we can certainly help you solve the problems on your way forward."
He handed the box containing the "Golden Lion Armor" to Shad, and then the three clowns wearing clown masks drew their weapons from behind them. They were three identical wooden swords, which looked like props used in opera performances.
But as the life rings behind the three people shone with spiritual light, the three wooden knives transformed into meat cleavers of roughly the same design, with even faint traces of blood still visible on them.
The scene of men wearing clown masks wielding meat cleavers is both eerie and strangely comical.
The three of them then bypassed Shad, the unicorns, and Winnie, and rushed together into the flesh-and-blood corridor.
Their movements were as light as a dancer's, and their wielding of deadly weapons was as elegant as a stage performance. Shad, having gained considerable knowledge of stage performance because of Vanessa, could tell their steps and movements were standard stage moves.
When facing a stationary target, the method of action doesn't really matter. But strangely enough, after the clowns used this method to wield the butcher's knife and cut through those fleshy ropes, the corridor didn't shrink as it had before.
Even Shad couldn't figure out what kind of power they had used, so it was the maid Winnie who explained it to Shad:
"The Clown Troupe is a branch of the Destiny Cult from the Mythical Era. It is a legacy left by the clowns in the Destiny Cult who specialize in performing plays for Mr. Huan in religious ceremonies."
Once they begin their performance as clowns, they create a stage-like effect around them, during which they can accomplish many things that seem almost miraculous to ordinary ring sorcerers.
The Society of Prophets, as the orthodox branch of the Church of Fate, inherits the power to foresee and interpret destiny; the Clown Troupe, while not orthodox, does indeed share the same origins as the Society of Prophets, inheriting the ability to perform drama and create stages.
The three of them seemed to be dancing, but it also seemed like they were using their body movements to perform some kind of strange ritual.
They moved faster and faster, and their sword swings became increasingly fierce, so Shad signaled the unicorns, Winnie, and himself to follow them.
As the three clowns reached the middle of the flesh corridor, it suddenly began to ripple. Several enormous lumps of flesh rose from the ground, and three-stage pseudo-humans, radiating red light, appeared. Their mutated bodies were covered in eyeballs, their upper bodies were connected to more than ten arms of different creatures, they had a second and a third face on their chest and back, and their tails were connected to their hair.
At the entrance to the core room, these stage-three pseudo-humans were able to exert power far greater than in their normal state, but the three clowns who were wildly wielding meat cleavers still went straight to meet them.
Their swordsmanship, which resembled a dance, looked comical, but when actually used in combat, it was exceptionally sharp. In the flash of the blades, the various parts of the fake figures quickly separated from their bodies.
In less than thirty seconds, the fake figures turned into pieces of flesh scattered on the floor, but before the fireball could even reach them, the floor absorbed them again. However, perhaps realizing that the fake figures alone couldn't stop the three abnormally behaving "clowns," no more fake figures appeared afterward.
So the clowns finally managed to dismantle all the flesh and ropes in the corridor. But when they reached the end of the corridor and the three of them approached the red door at the end, they were struck as if by an invisible force. They were sent flying backward and landed not far in front of Shad. They rolled on the ground before getting up smoothly.
"Mr. Watson, this is all the help we can offer."
Mr. Mortis said to Shad:
"But you don't need to worry. When we came in, the other helpers you summoned had already surrounded the [House of the Pseudo-Humans]. They should have broken in by now, but they just haven't found this place yet."
Xia De also promptly expressed his gratitude:
"You've done me a great favor, but how are you going to get out of here now?"
Mr. Mortis shook his head:
"Please don't worry about us, Mr. Watson. You must be careful, behind that door, besides the fake people and flesh and blood, there are other things, things you are very familiar with. As clowns, this is all we can do for you. Please allow us to leave now, and we wish you success in destroying the 'House of Fake People'."
After saying that, he threw a curtain about two meters long to the side. Then the three of them jumped towards the curtain, passed through the curtain that was floating in the red space, and then disappeared along with the curtain.
Whether it's the candidate's talent or the unique secret technique of the [Clown Troupe], it carries the same mystique as the Prophet's Association, even in the eyes of the Ring Warlocks.
However, he couldn't think about that right now, because Ellie and Leona's horns had almost completely lost their luster. Even Shad felt intense discomfort due to the powerful spiritual influence of the relic, but the maid Winnie seemed to be fine.
Leona was in the worst condition among the group, but fortunately Mr. Mortis and his companions brought the armor.
This armor has the characteristic of adapting to the wearer's body shape; as long as the body size is not excessively large or small, it can fit the wearer perfectly.
The golden giant cat that Mia "mis-evolved" during the Battle of Moon Bay was only slightly larger than Little Leona is now; the actual difference wasn't significant. Therefore, after the box was disassembled, the golden lion armor was put on Little Leona.
However, it had a single horn on its forehead, which originally prevented it from wearing a helmet. But when Shad tried to put the helmet on its head, the horn actually went straight through the helmet—it was unclear whether the unicorn was magical or the armor was magical.
In short, under the protection of the shimmering armor, little Leona's condition began to improve at a visible speed. Ellie, protected by the Council's power, had no doubts about why the armor wasn't given to her; she gently nuzzled little Leona, then nuzzled Shad as a gesture of gratitude.
"I'll prepare lots of apples for you after we get out."
Shad's hand remained on Ellie's body, but then he turned to the crystal-clear maid who seemed to know a lot and said:
"It's best if you don't enter the next core room. Just wait here for me, and you can take care of them for now, okay?"
The maid asked softly:
Are you sure you don't need me to follow you in?
Shade shook his head:
"What will happen to Ellie and little Leona if you come in with me?"
"Okay, I will take good care of them."
She said that after Shad finished touching the two unicorns, Winnie's hands touched Ellie and little Leona's backs.
An icy blue light then shone, and the two pristine white unicorns shivered from the cold. Although this power was far less than Moonfire, it was enough to protect them for the time being.
"We will be here waiting for your return and ready to receive any reinforcements."
She spoke softly, and Xia De nodded, confirming that the snake fang was still on his waist, before walking toward the door at the end.