The missing Lake

So far, Cheng Shi knows of four members in the Jie Shu team. Excluding the organizer, Jie Shu, the remaining members are:

Mo Shu, Zhao Xishi, and Su Yida.

The Cleaner was already prepared to die, and the Historian and the Master of Trickery were long gone. If they didn't take advantage of this opportunity, they would be doing a disservice to their Destiny of being fed.

Therefore, today, without Jie Shu's knowledge, the team underwent a personnel change. Apart from the organizer Jie Shu remaining, the other three new members are:

Cheng Shi, Zhen Xin, and Long Jing.

Yes, Cheng Shi planned to use their identities to meet the "Hunter of Fools who wanted to get rid of him as soon as possible." This was not for revenge, but for a plan that was gradually taking shape in his mind.

The plan doesn't have a name yet, but Cheng Shi knows that when it's completed, someone will give it one.

Although he wasn't sure if the plan to Jie Shu had Change over such a long period of time, or what state Mo Shu was in, he could predict that no matter how the game was played, it wouldn't be difficult for the three top-notch con artists.

Interestingly, when the proportion of "mole" in an organization far exceeds that of other members, to whom does this organization actually belong?

Is it possible that the Jie Shu lies with an outsider?

We're having a meeting of Clown, how did a [Folly] Believer like you manage to sneak in?

Thinking of this, Cheng Shi smiled knowingly.

Even though he anticipated a lot of fun, he still felt uncertain about the plan.

However, all of that is for after the Trials. The most urgent task is to focus on the current Trials of [Deception].

Cheng Shi was very curious about how Long Jing played the role of Master of Trickery. Long Jing didn't hide it from him, saying that it was a [Memory] prop that he obtained from the Dragon King, which allowed him to temporarily borrow the abilities of enemies he had fought before.

Cheng Shi's eyes lit up, and he asked him to take it out and look at it.

Long Jing spread his hands and said he was done.

Cheng Shi didn't believe a word of it. If they really ran out of supplies, how were you going to act for the next four days?

But he also knew that it wasn't easy to steal things from other people's pockets, so he had to take a roundabout approach, asking, "How did you extort it?"

Long Jing's expression froze; he seemed reluctant to admit it.

In fact, he was extorting money; he made empty promises to Li Jingming.

After killing Su Yida, he went to the Dragon King and told him that he was about to infiltrate the Jie Shu group, but he was still short of support. He said that if the Dragon King would support him, he would be willing to share this Memory with the Dragon King exclusively in the future.

Li Jingming thought the exchange was worthwhile, so he agreed to Long Jing.

But now, Long Jing's plan has been thwarted by his own people, and the one who disrupted it even wants him to join their plan... If he were to share his Memory with the Dragon King, wouldn't he become a "well-known" Clown again?

No, that won't do!

To protect President Gong's reputation, we must renege on the debt!

Long Jing shut his mouth, as resolute as a righteous person who vowed to protect the interests of the Dragon King from harm.

Unfortunately, he was facing two shrewd con artists. Without them saying a word, just by looking at him, they could tell what kind of promises the Acrobat had made.

Cheng Shi and Zhen Xin exchanged a smile and decided to give President Gong some face.

"President Gong, you arrived so much earlier than us, what have you discovered?"

Long Jing didn't want to share this matter either. Originally, this Stage should have belonged to him, but now someone has interfered, and his perfect Finale Performance plan has long since failed.

But we can't always keep things to ourselves; who knows if those two unlucky creatures might try something against us?

Although he wasn't afraid to fight, he was afraid of making a fool of himself, and the worst part was that it was far too easy to embarrass himself in front of these two people...

So Long Jing resigned himself to his fate and said weakly:

"Lake sneaked away under the cover of night, and I saw the scene of his departure using the [Memory] item."

He was very resolute; he lingered at the entrance of the Circus for a long time before leaving, clearly not intending to return. That's why I thought of replacing him and reversing the ending of the Dusk Play.

I found no clues about his departure, and I couldn't fathom why a Clown with such deep affection for the Circus would make such a choice.

The night he left, he was unusually nervous, even trembling as he walked. This was highly illogical for a Clown who had performed on stage for years, was used to all kinds of scenes, and was extremely good at controlling the stage.

Of course, it's possible he was afraid of being discovered, but considering the confusion in his eyes, I'm more inclined to believe that this behavior stems from his anxiety about the unpredictable future!

Due to the limited range of the item's effect, I couldn't find where he had landed, but he left in the direction of the city, which seemed to indicate that he had an appointment with someone.

I suspected he was threatened, because I also saw a hint of fear in his eyes.

As they talked, Long Jing sat up straight, clearly also interested in Lake's disappearance.

Cheng Shi frowned, thinking carefully. How much power must someone possess to make Clown so decisively leave his most beloved career, his closest friends and family, and the "home" he had dedicated his life to?

Cheng Shi pondered for a moment and quickly came up with an answer. At this moment, Zhen Xin, who was standing beside him, also offered her guess:

"The other side wants to destroy Dusk Play!"

To protect the Circus, the Clown had no choice but to make a compromise.

Cheng Shi nodded; he thought so too. He considered all the possibilities and asked himself, "What are you thinking?"

"The person who arranged to meet with Lake was either very powerful and could easily decide Dusk Play's life or death; or they held leverage over Dusk Play that could ruin his reputation."

If it's the former, they seem to have no reason to simply make things difficult for a Clown, unless it's for some kind of misunderstood, perverse pleasure.

Only Royal Family could possess such a perverse sense of humor and wield such power.

Could it be that a member of the Royal Family is inclined to support Morning Cheer in order to spite Dusk Play?

However, judging from the Royal Family's reaction to the explosion of Dusk Play, and their observation of the Royal Family Investigator I knocked unconscious, they seem more inclined to support Dusk Play. After all, Dusk Play is a "legacy" of a king and is more in line with the traditionalists' tastes.

But if it's not the Royal Family, does Kanliwal have any other major powers?

No... even if there is, it seems to follow the same logic. If they want to bring down the Dusk Play, they don't need to target only the Clown.

In that case, it seems more like the second scenario.

Someone has obtained leverage over Dusk Play and is using it to blackmail Lake into making a choice.

But why does it have to be Lake?

Oh?

I understand, it's very likely because...

"Because this incriminating evidence concerns the Clown."

Zhen Xin raised an eyebrow and pointed out the key point. "Lake must have committed a crime that is detrimental to Dusk Play, and it was seen by someone with ulterior motives, which is why he is being manipulated like this."

Otherwise, given his love for the Circus, he would probably have vowed to protect Dusk Play.

Our focus shouldn't be limited to the Circus; we need to investigate what Lake did before he disappeared.

Only by investigating the cause and effect can we determine whether the ending of Dusk Play should be tragic or joyful.

Ah, it's quite interesting, really. A Stage that provides emotions for the audience, yet it can't decide its own happy or sad ending...

"Is God of Merriment implying something with this?"

Zhen Xin's eyes darted around, as if she was thinking of something.

"..."

"..."

Her sudden, high-level remarks plunged the room into silence.

Cheng Shi pursed his lips, unsure how to respond, while Long Jing didn't think so much. He followed the two's train of thought, combining his own observations and experiences, and came up with a very reasonable guess.

There are no threats without a cause in this world.

Forcing Lake to leave always benefits someone in the process. Leaving aside the details, if we only consider who benefits most from Lake's departure, there will undoubtedly be only one outcome!

The three exchanged a glance and said in unison:

"Morning Cheer."

Cheng Shi smiled; this was the ultimate game he had ever dreamed of, where everyone could carry.

Of course, it would be even better if neither of us lied to each other.

"It seems we need to make a trip to Morning Cheer." Cheng Shi blinked. "We can also check on how much suffering Old Zhang has endured."