The Gentleman at the End
Chapter 496 - 494 Fear

Chapter 496: Chapter 494 Fear

[Backstage]

The bottled Fear liquid collected from William’s performance was being concentrated. The final essence obtained would serve as food for the "Circus Tent".

Once the tent consumed the essence of Fear, it could grow and gain more internal space, becoming more stable and harder to detect,

In short, it became more perfect.

What exactly the Circus Tent is, not many in the circus could fully articulate,

Some said it was an ancient tool related to the origin of diseases,

Others claimed it was an Otherworld treasure seized by the boss during the Old World wars from invaders,

There were also those who believed the tent, like the head chef, was one of the boss’s earliest followers,

William was very curious, but had no way of finding out. Such matters could only be understood by becoming a formal member of the circus and perhaps even earning a chance to have deep interactions with the boss.

The backstage worker wearing the square five quickly completed the earnings calculation.

"Mr. William, you’ve earned a total essence of 50ml from this performance. After deducting the construction costs of the venue of 20ml, and 10% of the Audience’s Physical domination rights, this is your performance earnings of 27ml.

As we’ve noticed this is your first performance, we are also presenting you with this ’Trading Bracelet’ of the circus."

A ring-shaped hollow bracelet with scale marks was handed over by square five, into which a small segment of black substance was injected, corresponding to the 27ml mark.

Old World coins do not circulate inside the circus; Fear is the only currency.

Catherine looked at the scale on the bracelet and shook her head,

"William, you only got that much for maximizing Fear! It looks like setting up the stage cost quite a bit, and why did you buy those useless Audience members? What use could they be as slaves?

The only use for these walking corpses, drained of value, is to become dust of the Old World."

But William shook his finger, "No, their use is too great!

Having their Fear drained means their emotional feedback is completely disordered, they can’t even express any excess emotions, which allows them to learn more purely as ’students’.

If learning efficiency is doubled, I can hold ’thesis defenses’ quicker and recover Knowledge."

Catherine covered her ears with both hands; she hated listening to things she didn’t understand, "Alright~ 27ml is quite a sum for a newcomer.

Personally, I suggest you spend 20ml to upgrade your room first. Rooms are important for circus personnel; they not only represent living conditions but also the tent space you occupy.

Moreover, I’m rather picky. If you want me to join you for training, you at least need a two-room set-up, separating daily exercises from bed exercises, and get a big enough comfortable bed to support both our trainings.

Keep the rest of the money for now, and continue upgrading the room when you have more money later.

Anyway, you already have a Fear artifact, so you probably don’t need anything else for now.

By the way, why didn’t you use the artifact I gave you during the performance?"

"Because the performance was already good enough, I didn’t plan to use external objects... Moreover, there were twins supervising onstage, it wouldn’t be nice to take out the Fear Collection and dominate the game.

I feel it’s better to use it as an accessory to enhance the haunted atmosphere of the room."

William took out the Fear artifact he won from Catherine, a withered finger covered in hair; its nail was broken and some rotting flesh was exposed.

As soon as the finger was exposed to the air, it made a ’click click’ sound like nails scraping glass, making one’s skin crawl.

Soon, the Magic House was expanded from a single room to a two-room suite, complete with a full set of Fear furnishings made from Fear wood grown within the Circus Tent’s space, which was somewhat beneficial for inducing fear disorders.

The finger Catherine had gifted was placed within a niche in the living room,

Additionally, William spent 5ml to purchase a "Miniature Stage" space device.

According to the store clerk, it was an item belonging to the previous Chief Magician and became the property of the Circus after his death, sold only internally.

The cause of death was a secret, and not something that ordinary members like William could inquire about.

The reason it was so cheap was that the space device did not have the function for magic performance; it was merely a toy made on a whim by the former Magician.

But for William, who might be granted a new profession and even start his own department, this device was very fitting.

It was about the size of a chessboard and scaled down precisely to the proportions of the circus stage. It used form-changing materials made by the former Magician, allowing rapid alterations to the stage based on individual thoughts.

William could use it for preconstructing the stage, to conceive performance content more accurately and finely.

[William’s Magic House]

Catherine lay on the bed, idle, seemingly thinking about Art’s injury today; she hadn’t seen such a scenario in a long time.

"William, what’s the deal with that friend of yours? Have I seen him in Zion?"

"You haven’t met him; he is a special Patient and does not belong to Zion. Like me, he is designated by the Duke as a ’premium customer’... Art also said, he is directly associated with the [Moon].

From what I understand, the moon of the Old World was completely destroyed in that war, unable to be rebuilt.

But as the World Infection occurred, the concept of the moon re-emerged in the infected world, the human world in which I reside. And Lorrian is the Patient directly related to the construction of the New Moon."

"So he’s a Patient associated with the New Moon! No wonder he could injure the boss... It seems to be because you actively sought out the Circus, and you yourself also employ the Moonlight Illusion Technique in your performances. It looks like you two have a deep relationship?"

As Catherine threw her question, her expression also became strange.

"You could say it’s quite deep. That guy was born a ’Twin Body,’ and half of him was destroyed in the process of revenge. I just happened to appear at the time and became his target for completion.

He has always wanted to assimilate me, to make me his other half."

"Psh! Wishful thinking! That smelly woman really deserves to die! If she dares to come to the Circus again someday, I’ll call the boss, Zock, Uncle Jian, and we’ll kill her together!"

"Lorrian is not a woman."

"Ah? So it’s a man~ In the Old World, the Patient related to the diseased moon was indeed a bona fide beauty, perfect and flawless without any fault.

Even if it’s a man, it won’t work! If he really wants to use you to complete his Twin Body, the Circus will intervene."

Looking at Catherine’s very serious demeanor, William also smiled contentedly, "No need, I will resolve things between him and me by myself; the other me has been waiting for a long time.

Well, let’s get back to the main topic."

I should technically be touching upon Fear now, right? I’ve experienced primordial Fear in the backstage kitchen and brought Fear to the Audience during performances. I’ve also furnished the expanded Magic House with a full set of Fear Furniture, plus the Fear Collection that you gave me, Catherine.

By the way, how does one develop the required ’Phobia’ to become a core member of the Circus? How do I determine the type of Phobia I have?"

Hearing the question, Catherine cocked her head,

"Huh? William, why would you ask such a question... You should have realized the answer during the Performance process, right? The fear that sparkles in the eyes of the Audience is the answer.

However, since your Performance is of a new type, it’s indeed possible to have doubts."

William nodded, "Oh... I see."

Catherine continued to explain, "Participate in more performances, and the Phobia will gradually take shape; that’s how everyone has progressed. Unconsciously, the Phobia takes root between our souls, accompanying us permanently.

Additionally, the Magic Feast will also help root and refine the Phobia. After all, the boss will be personally present, and you should seize the opportunity."