CHAPTER 174: THE UTOPIAN CIRCUS

"Toot-toot!" A cheerful trumpet echoed through the streets by the inner walls of the capital. A small caravan of wagons rolled through the narrow alleys, with performers perched atop them waving colorful props and playing lively tunes in rhythm with the trumpet blasts.

"Hey, everyone! The traveling circus is in town! For just half a silver coin, you can watch a spectacular performance! Join us at the plaza just ahead—don't miss out!"

A man dressed as a clown hopped atop one of the wagons, shouting out to curious onlookers peering out from their homes.

The wagon he stood on was filled with large, vibrantly colored fabrics meant for a circus tent.

"Half a silver coin... seems like a good deal. It's rare to get a chance like this. Why don't you take the kid and go have a look?"

"A traveling circus during wartime? That's quite an attraction. If we can't afford a visit to the Gilded Rose, a circus show isn't bad, either."

"Sounds interesting. They might not be a big troupe, but they seem well-prepared. Let's check it out."

The residents by the slums around the walls were intrigued. Unlike the more distinguished clientele near the heart of the capital, who had long lost interest in such lowbrow entertainment, these people belonged to the lower rungs of society. They toiled just to survive, clinging to the hope that one day, they might seize an opportunity to change their fate in this city filled with risks and rewards.

For them, a traveling circus was a rare treat.

Noticing their interest, the clown continued, "Children can attend for free! Our circus is meant to entertain children!"

He pinched his bright red clown nose, grinning as he shouted in excitement.

"Not bad at all! Take the kid with you."

"Alright. It's relatively inexpensive, and he's barely had the chance to have any fun lately. Let's go."

"I'll go have a look!"

The generous offer won over the residents.

Adults could suppress their desires in the struggle for survival, but children—naturally curious and full of energy—would never turn away from something exciting.

Their parents, too, felt reluctant to deny their kids such a rare opportunity, especially when they normally had no time or money to expose them to the refined theaters and entertainment venues of the city proper.

The circus caravan arrived at a plaza that had been rebuilt after the Hellgate invasion. There, they began setting up.

The circus performers seemed to possess extraordinary abilities. With the aid of magic and knightly strength, they swiftly erected a grand tent before the eager eyes of the capital's residents.

"Welcome, everyone! Don't miss your chance to witness an unforgettable performance! Every member of our circus has a unique skill!"

At the entrance of the tent, the clown performed a backflip as he announced the event. As if on cue, a fierce-looking beast resembling a lion peeked out from inside the tent—then promptly clamped its massive jaws around the clown's head.

Gasps erupted from the crowd. The unexpected scene left them momentarily frozen.

"Don't worry! It's just a simple illusion! In just a moment, you'll see even more incredible tricks!"

Suddenly, the beast's head split open from the middle. A pair of hands emerged, tearing the head apart and revealing it to be nothing more than a papier-mache prop reinforced with a frame—yet it had looked utterly real to the audience.

"Wow! That's amazing—totally worth the price!"

"Magic illusions in a performance? This is incredible!"

The spectators grew more and more excited.

Magic-enhanced performances were typically reserved for high-end entertainment venues..

To see such sophisticated tricks for only half a silver coin was an unexpected delight "Come on in, everyone! The show is about to start!" The clown tossed the fake beast's head aside and made a grand gesture of invitation.

The eager audience, primarily parents with their children, stepped forward and dropped their half-silver coins—or their equivalent in copper coins—into a collection box before squeezing into the tent.

Among them, a few figures subtly different from the usual residents of the walls blended into the crowd. Their gazes lingered as they carefully observed the traveling circus that had suddenly appeared in the capital.

Soon, the last of the guests had entered and taken their seats inside the tent. The stage remained dark, heightening their anticipation.

A crisp sound, mimicking the flipping of a switch, rang out. Suddenly, a bright beam of magical light illuminated the center of the stage.

The audience erupted in amazed exclamations.

On stage stood a towering, muscular man with a bare upper body. His powerful arms bulged with muscle as he effortlessly lifted a massive beast above his head with one hand.

The beast, several times the man's size, thrashed wildly, baring its long, razor-sharp tusks and claws in a desperate struggle. Yet the man casually swung his arm, treating the creature like a plaything, flipping it around as if it were nothing more than a toy ball.

No matter how fiercely the beast fought to overturn its body, a simple flick of the man's wrist would send it belly-up, its frantic limbs flailing like a kitten throwing a tantrum.

"Heh!" The strongman let out a shout before slamming the beast onto the ground. A muffled explosion erupted, followed by a cloud of white smoke.

By the time the smoke cleared, the monstrous beast had vanished. In the man's hand was now an adorable tiny kitten that mewed sweetly.

"Amazing!"

"Fantastic!"

"Whoa!"

The audience erupted in cheers. Even in the upscale entertainment venues of the inner city, such high-quality performances were rare. The seamless combination of illusion and physical prowess was truly impressive.

The strongman bowed to the crowd before tossing the kitten to a young boy seated near the front row. The boy, caught off guard, barely managed to react as the tiny creature landed on him. The kitten, however, seemed to have its own intentions—it latched onto his shirt with its claws.

"Whoa!" The boy's friends gasped in excitement. They reached out, wanting to pet it, but the boy held the kitten high, grinning triumphantly, refusing to let his envious companions touch it with their dirty hands.

Their playful begging filled the tent with an infectious energy. The atmosphere of a circus, unlike the refined theaters of the inner city, thrived on these lively interactions.

As the strongman stepped backstage, a slender woman emerged to take the spotlight.

From above, a massive spider-like head suddenly lunged down from the tent's ceiling, shooting out a strand of "webbing" that wrapped around the woman. With a terrified expression, she was yanked upwards toward the creature's grotesque maw—sparking a fresh round of excited screams from the crowd.

And so, the next act began.

"Not bad, huh? That little kitten is pretty cute, don't you think?" Charles nudged Edward with his elbow.

"Yeah, it's adorable. As of now, this really does seem like a well-run circus. Their use of illusion magic might even surpass some of those so-called 'upper-class' entertainment venues that rely more on a lavish setting than true skill."

Edward watched the aerial acrobatics unfolding in the "spider's web," his expression thoughtful.

"So, is there any special reason for keeping an eye on this circus? Looks like there's nothing suspicious going on. Though, I'll admit, sneaking past the city guards unnoticed proves they've got some skill." Charles shrugged, unimpressed.

"Sense your surroundings carefully," Wang Yu interjected, twisting a skull-engraved ring on his finger and sending his ripples outward.

"There's an enchantment affecting mental perception. No signs of void energy, but the illusions subtly influence the soul. The effect is weak—harmless, even—which is why it's easy to overlook. Charles, take a closer look."

"Oh? Your perception is really sharp. Ah, I see now. Illusions don't work on you, so the scene you're witnessing must be pretty awkward, huh?"

Charles quickly came to an understanding. Since illusions had no effect on Wang Yu, the show must seem rather terrible to him.

Wang Yu nodded. Nothing could influence his "soul," so the circus performance seemed rather half-baked.

What was supposed to be a thrilling scene of a woman struggling within a spider's magical web looked, to him, like a scantily clad woman flipping around on a rope net, with a fake, papier-mâché spider head prop bobbing up and down above her.

So far, the circus that Sieg had alerted them about seemed to be operating normally. The illusion-based performances were surprisingly high-quality, but that wasn't illegal in itself.

What was worth noting was the circus itself—known as the "Utopia." No one was quite sure where this group was based. They would pick opportune moments in which to enter different kingdoms and usually set up their traveling performances in slum-like areas.

While they sometimes conducted ordinary shows, their main attraction was a play called "The Utopia"—a theatrical performance that depicted a utopian nation.

Afterwards, large-scale riots would break out for reasons unknown. It was unclear how they achieved this. Even when the authorities captured them, none of the captured members could provide useful information about their organization.

"Hmm, there's definitely a faint trace of mind manipulation here. It's subtle, not active mind control—probably just supporting the illusion magic. This isn't how they incite riots," Charles said, using Wang Yu's insight to sense the magical fluctuations around them.

"It's likely some special power that makes the city guards overlook the presence of these sizable caravans. It's a strange kind of power—I've never encountered it before. But it's not void energy."

"If it weren't for the Prayer Network dispersing some of this mental influence, even the Nightblades might not have noticed them."

Wang Yu rubbed his chin. These circus members had used some unknown force to cloud the minds of the city guards, making them ignore the circus troupe, which, while not huge, was still conspicuous enough to stand out.

If not for the Nightblades whose Prayer Network mitigated the mental interference, they might never have noticed these performers who had slipped past everyone's awareness. This was likely why Sieg had passed the information to Wang Yu's team.

"Ah, whatever. There are tons of weird powers in this world. It's not just fighting spirit, void energy, or magic. Astrologers use powers drawn from the stars, geomancers rely on earth-based forces—who the hell knows what this circus is using? As long as the Prayer Network can weaken its effects, it's not a big deal. Otherwise, you'd have had to investigate alone, Wang Yu."

Charles shrugged dismissively.

"For now, as long as they have no ties to Selwyn, it's not a serious problem," Edward added, keeping his attention on the stage.

The Utopian Circus had already appeared many times before the war between Selwyn and Aleisterre began, so they were almost certainly unrelated to Selwyn.

"True."

Wang Yu agreed with Charles' assessment but kept his eyes on the ongoing performance. As the show progressed, acts like headbutting cannonballs, fire-eating, and warring dragons dazzled the audience and earned continuous cheers. To Wang Yu, however, it was all rather boring.

But when a clown stepped off the stage and announced a special surprise, Wang Yu straightened up slightly and adjusted the metal ring on his finger.

"Ladies and gentlemen, next, I will present to you a beautiful performance—the perfect utopia! I will show you a truly wonderful world, a place where everyone can live happily! It may seem like a dream, but I believe that one day, this dream will come true!"

"Ooooh!"

The audience had no idea what the clown was talking about, but the previous exhilarating performances had already lifted their spirits. The festive atmosphere meant that no matter what the clown said, it would stir their excitement.

"Now, I need a volunteer! Would anyone be willing to help me?"

"Yes!" The audience cheered eagerly. The small gifts handed out earlier, like the tiny kittens, had made them look forward to participating.

"Great!" The clown clapped his hands.

"Now... who shall it be?" He looked around the audience, pretending to hesitate.

"How about you? Yes, you, the handsome young man! Come on down!" His gloved finger pointed at someone in the crowd—Charles.

"Me?" Charles pointed at his own face, looking uncertain.

"That's right! Come on, handsome! This next act won't disappoint you!" The clown laughed excitedly, his voice brimming with enthusiasm and anticipation.

"No problem. This fits their usual routine—just be careful. Edward and I will back you up."

Wang Yu transmitted a message to Charles via his ripples. The Utopian Circus always selected an audience member to help showcase their so-called utopian dream.

"Stay alert, and maintain contact with the Tree of the Night at all times to guard against mental interference," Edward cautioned quietly.

"Is your potential ready?" Wang Yu asked.

"Yes, I'm always prepared. Any attempt to threaten me using the audience's lives will be ineffective," Edward confirmed. His latent ability, Bastion, was currently active.

"Alright. I'm going, then," Charles murmured. He turned toward the performer.

"What an honor. Here I come, here I come!" He scratched the back of his head sheepishly, his tone as cheerful as ever. With a light jog, he made his way down to the front of the audience.

At the same time, Wang Yu subtly pressed down on the metal ring with a snarling skull—the Bloodbite Ring, a curio the academy had given him and Avia after the disastrous incident in the Grand Library.

Most people would find the ring useless, but it complemented Wang Yu's newly developed combat style perfectly.

The skull's sharp teeth sank into Wang Yu's finger, piercing skin. Blood began to trickle out, causing its hollow eye sockets to glow with a faint red light.

The Bloodbite Ring's hidden dimensional rift opened up—a pocket space that could only store blood. Wang Yu's still-living blood began to flow steadily from the skull's mouth.

Under the combined influence of Blood Tempest and his ripples, the blood seeped through the gaps in the audience's seats, slowly and discreetly spreading around the circus grounds...