Chapter 1: Fisher
The entire sky was shrouded in dark clouds, and although it was noon, the sunlight struggled to penetrate the layers of clouds that obscured the horizon, casting an eerie and desolate atmosphere over the dirty clouds.
Below, the land was uneven and appeared to be an uninhabited wilderness. However, whenever a gentle breeze blew, the soil on the ground would quiver slightly, revealing sparkles that blinked like stars, looking towards a colorful cluster of fluffy tents in the distance.
Those fluffy tents, extravagantly colorful, hung with strings of shimmering decorations, were marked with words printed in the Western Continent language.
“Kexiening Circus.”
This was a circus that traveled between various countries, performing shows that were largely similar to those traditionally known. Between the tents, various exotic animals were being led around by circus staff; many performers wore colorful, heavy makeup and sported large wigs on their foreheads.
“Captain Colin, we’re almost packed up; we can head to Brian City now.”
At the entrance of the circus, a clown-like employee said this to a middle-aged man holding a cup of coffee and with a bulging belly. The man had messy, tousled hair, an unkempt beard, and his corpulence was not hidden beneath his suit, making him look as awkward as an iron barrel.
“Well, since we’re ready, let’s wait a bit longer for the buyer; if they don’t come soon, we’ll set off tonight.”
“Okay, I’ll go tell them.”
The clown ran back among the tents, while the man called Colin rubbed his nose. The wind in the Brian wilderness was sharp and cold, almost unbearable even for those like them who traveled between nations year-round.
Surely, the most prosperous Saint Nali was the best place for habitation.
The middle-aged man thought this as he sipped his coffee.
There, the education and medical systems were the most complete, and the brilliance of human civilization could be felt in every stone brick of the towns. People like him, who wandered endlessly, would be intoxicated by the comfortable and beautiful atmosphere upon entering the city, almost wanting to kneel and kiss the strangely clean bricks.
Instead, he was here doing business, waiting for a buyer who was tardy.
Colin glanced around at the soil below, where sparkling eyes seemed to blink, but the next moment, those spirit-like creatures quickly retreated underground.
His pupils slightly contracted as he felt something and looked towards the boundless wilderness. The gradually intensifying sound of hooves echoed like thunder, shattering the tranquility of the fields. On the roadless expanse, a small black dot approached the circus, accompanied by the sound of hooves.
“Are they here?”
Colin raised his… erm, somewhat pouting middle… gulped down the last sip of coffee, turned around to hand the cup to the circus staff, rubbed his hands together, adjusted his overly plump appearance, and stood at the entrance of the circus with a polite smile, waiting for the guest to arrive from afar.
Two sleek black horses pulled a carriage, rapidly approaching the circus. As they got closer, Colin saw a man in the front of the carriage holding the reins.
That man wore an elegant, well-fitted suit from Saint Nali, his white-gloved hands lightly gripping the reins. Underneath his black gentleman’s hat was a young and handsome, ruggedly masculine face, but his expression was devoid of warmth, creating an unapproachable distance, enveloped in a layer of coldness.
“Hiss!”
As they drew nearer, the man seemed to lightly tug on the reins, but the two black horses suddenly reared up as if they encountered a powerful force, neighing loudly as they raised their heads, coming to a halt near the circus, panting heavily.
Colin quickly snapped out of his momentary scrutiny of the man’s appearance, realizing something was wrong. He put on a friendly smile, rubbed his hands as he walked towards the carriage.
“Welcome to Kexiening Circus; I am the circus captain, Colin. Hello, hello.”
The man took a cane from his side and stepped down from the carriage. His polished shoes landed on the muddy ground of the Brian wilderness, pressing down on the curious Earth Spirits underneath, who wanted to peek above. The soil below stirred, heaving slightly in a wave towards the distance; presumably, those spirits had run away.
The man’s expression was bland; he took off his hat and addressed Colin.
“Hello, Captain Colin. I am Fisher, here to fulfill the previously arranged order.”
Colin sized up the man in front of him, his brow twitching slightly. He then rubbed his hands, hesitated, and sheepishly smiled.
“Uh, I thought the transaction was to be completed by Auren from Feilon City, not someone as refined as you. Or are you just here to see our performance? That’s unfortunate; you’ll have to wait until we reach Brian City!”
Before Colin could finish speaking, Fisher lightly tapped his cane, smiling subtly, then emphasized,
“It is an order, not a performance, Mr. Colin.”
“Uh, well, we have principles; in principle, since the order is confirmed, then we…”
“Principles?”
Fisher, dressed in black, tapped the side of the carriage with his cane, and a small secret door opened. From within rolled out a bag tainted with blood. By its length, it appeared to be the size of a full-grown man, but it was uncertain whether it could hold someone as plump as Colin.
As it rolled, the bag came to rest at Colin’s feet, its opening slightly ajar, revealing a face full of fear and rancid smell—the face of someone who was not the original buyer, Auren.
Colin quickly closed his fat mouth, afraid the smell of blood would enter his body and contaminate him. He trembled slightly, moving his eyes, only to see the gentleman replanted his cane and pulled out another bag that jingled from the same secret door; this one, however, was filled with Saint Nali gold coins.
The quantity was even more than what was originally agreed upon for the transaction.
“Ah! Yes! Principles!” Colin swallowed hard, clapped his hands abruptly, and declared with righteous fervor, “What matters most in our line of work are the principles! Since it was agreed to trade with Mr. Fisher, we definitely won’t pass the transaction on to anyone else, hahahaha… right?”
“Mr. Colin is a humorous person.”
Fisher continued to hold his cane, looking at the chubby man with a smile in his eyes. Under that calm gaze, Colin hesitated for a moment, grasped the bag of gold coins on the ground, opened it to confirm that it was indeed full of genuine coins, all the while ignoring Auren still trapped in the bag on the ground.
Just as he said, he was indeed a principled man; those principles were measured in gold coins, defined by his own heart.
Fisher put on his hat, ignoring Colin’s actions, and merely said,
“Let me see the goods.”
“No problem, no problem, Mr. Fisher, this way, please!”
Colin stuffed the large bag of coins into his clothing pocket; his bulky body responded to the effort, becoming slightly deformed. However, surprisingly, under what appeared to be an awkward struggle, the entire bag of coins really did fit into his pocket, or more specifically, into the fat under his coat.
He seemed to have gotten even fatter and even let out a belch.
“What magic is this from which country?” Fisher asked with interest.
Noticing Fisher’s gaze on him, he awkwardly chuckled and explained,
“Just a little magic trick; it doesn’t compare to real magic.”
Fisher nodded, no longer probing.
Even true magic would likely be a secret that people like him would not pass down; there was no need to dig deeper since it was not his goal. As long as Colin could successfully procure the target, it would not matter to him.
“Customers have arrived; prepare to receive them!!”
Colin suddenly shouted loudly, clapping his hands.
As the sound fell, the tents behind them seemed to come alive, opening like a mouth, revealing numerous performers, steam engines, and exotic beasts within.
Among them, a tiny elephant leaped in the hands of a performer like a mouse, while on a whimsical steam train, many indistinct ghostly figures cried out. A female performer drew in a deep breath and spat out endless flames toward the sky, from which a figure emerged and landed on the ground.
“They’re all rehearsing. Especially those ghosts, they haven’t sprinkled their transformation powder yet, so they aren’t clearly visible; it’s too expensive, and I wouldn’t dare to use it unless it’s a formal performance.”
Colin walked with Fisher deeper into the tents, introducing him to the circus’s signature acts.
The Spirit Train, where the engine was a pricey imitation of a real steam train made from spirits. The Shrinking Spell shrunk massive creatures, complementing performances. The Fire Spirit, that figure in the flames was an adult fire spirit, similar to the Earth Spirits beneath the ground.
Fisher’s gaze landed on the deep purple emblems glowing on the actors’ clothing before he just as nonchalantly withdrew his gaze.
The Slave Seal, as long as an individual was branded with that seal, their life and death actions would completely be controlled by the seal’s owner; thus, all of this circus’s workers were slaves.
The master was the fatty beside him, Captain Colin.
“These people are all slaves.”
“Ah, haha, you know… well, it’s a cost issue.” Colin rubbed his hands awkwardly, “Ever since the council passed the Sheen Act, the hiring prices for workers in the city are not what they used to be, and entering the city also requires paying for the quarantine seal, blah blah blah; all of this is not a small sum for honest small-time merchants like me.”
He seemed quite displeased with the human rights Sheen Act passed by the kingdom’s parliament, his fat face slightly shaking as he pondered, “What was that phrase again? Those councilors, all they do is suck blood under the guise of righteousness, something something God, making everyone enjoy the unified minimum wage standard.”
“‘We and our descendants firmly promise to God that according to this act, adult workers shall receive equal minimum wage treatment.'”
Fisher recited the original text of the act, prompting Colin to clap his hands.
“Yes, yes, just like that! Damn councilors!”
The act protected all citizens of the kingdom, regardless of age or gender, as long as they were free and equal—
Except for slaves and dirty subhuman races.
“We’ve arrived, Mr. Fisher…”
Having reached the end of the circus, before a black tent, Colin rubbed his hands again and pulled aside the curtain blocking the way for Fisher.
Inside, in the dim tent, only a weak firefly lamp hung in the center. Surrounding it, in layered iron cages, sobbing shadows crawled amid a mix of excrement and food, their bodies adorned with deep purple slave marks glowing in different positions, showing their differences from ordinary people.
Fisher covered his mouth and nose, and seeing this, Colin bowed slightly with a sheepish smile.
“Mr. Fisher, you can wait outside; I’ll have someone bring out the goods as we previously agreed, five female Dragon Races, right?”
(End of chapter)
