The Last Gentleman
Chapter 469: 467: Pointing

The first time he experienced vision deprivation, experiencing the sensation taught by Teacher Zede,

however, this sensation was extremely uncomfortable. Unlike the physical absence caused by the removal of both eyes, this fundamental form of vision deprivation erased everything related to the eyes, creating an additional "void" as if in the soul itself.

Nevertheless, due to the existence of Madness Brain, William was barely able to shield this sense of loss and focus on the situation at hand.

"Full-body Epileptic Seizure"

William activated the brain cells in his muscle tissue, amplifying the "touch" sensation tenfold in an attempt to perceive his surroundings.

Buzz!

Contrary to expectations, the touch sensation, which should have radiated out like radar, was completely enclosed by the golden suit and couldn’t spread at all.

At the same time, the voice of the Golden Mask reached him from beside.

"Mr. William, this is the core area of our chamber of commerce, and the Duke is handling matters that affect the fate of the entire chamber. If you accidentally detect it, we will have to perform a compulsory brainwash.

This thorough brainwashing might have a very adverse effect on you.

So please keep quiet. This golden suit is meant to protect you, not to restrain you."

"Sorry, I don’t know the rules."

"That’s alright, after all, very few people can come here, and even among our entire network of premium clients, no more than ten can make it. We will soon meet the Duke, so think carefully about the questions you need to ask, and avoid unnecessary chatter."

"Understood."

The normally amiable Golden Mask had become unusually serious, and William ceased any minor fidgeting.

Following the Golden Mask, they delved deeper, the slope growing steeper until both were completely engulfed and sinking further into the muck.

During the descent, a substance resembling liquid rubber completely blocked William’s nostrils, rendering his sense of smell completely ineffective.

After traversing about a hundred meters of the muck layer, they finally fell to the deepest part, the so-called core area of the chamber of commerce.

At this moment, only hearing was left functioning normally.

The clashing of metals, the stirring of flesh, the cries of various animals, and even some indescribable sounds entered his ears—disorderly and countless.

William calmed down and sought direction amid the countless chaotic sounds, searching for the unique voice of the Duke.

The sound of fat squeezing against each other,

and the special clashing noise when golden teeth chewed food.

He followed the sound and arrived in front of the Duke’s castle.

"William, are you in such a hurry that you must find me right now!"

Unlike his usual gentleness, the voice that the Duke emitted seemed to spurt out from the depths of a flesh abyss, and if William had not activated his full-body epilepsy in advance, he would have been blown away directly by this tone.

"I truly apologize for disturbing you at this time, Duke. My illness’s epidemic value in the ’Forest of Fertility’ has reached the final fourth stage, and I came here seeking to inquire or purchase information about the ’Path.’

I hope to lock down my own path and complete it as soon as possible."

"Haven’t I already given you a clue about the path long ago?"

This statement from the Duke startled William, causing his Madness Brain to operate at high speed as he recalled the entire process of his last meeting with the Duke.

"Could it be the Circus?"

"Correct, your condition is very complex and does not exist among the paths already discovered. You need to seek out that hidden, unknown path—this process is difficult and troublesome.

However, the organization running the Circus might provide you a useful direction; the proprietor of the circus has some experiences that surpass mine in certain aspects."

"Thank you, Duke."

"Of course, you can also choose to directly purchase clues about that unknown path from me. Because these clues involve the essence of the world, the price could reach millions, and can only be achieved through gambling."

"I’ll visit the Circus first then. If I can’t find the path, I’ll come back to gamble with you. I’m truly sorry for my foolishness in not thinking of this earlier and for disturbing you, Duke."

Clap!

The Duke slapped his belly, and William was instantly transported outside the canyon, the blockage on his vision also lifted, and his eyes regrew in their sockets while he held the eyeballs in his hand.

Before long, the Prophet Little Grape and Thirteen rushed over.

"William, how come so quickly?"

"The Duke is very busy, he gave an answer and then kicked me back," William explained while stuffing his eyeball back into its socket.

"Did you ask about the Path?"

William directly took out the flesh ball that the Duke had once given him.

Little Grape understood naturally, "Did he send you to the ’Fear Circus’? Even the Duke doesn’t have a suitable path for you?

True, your body is too chaotic; the known paths are all of too high a ’purity,’ likely unsuitable for you.

Although the Circus is dangerous, we may be able to find unique grapes to taste in that gathering of talented and diverse people... and it seems everyone in the circus is skilled in cooking, so it could be a very good experience."

The more Little Grape talked, the more excited he became, releasing his human form and resting on William’s shoulder in his original flesh ball form.

As for its clothing, it turned into an ash scarf, perfectly matching William’s outfit and covering his mouth and nose.

Everything ready, William suddenly turned to look at the Candle Puppet behind him.

"Thirteen, you must have clearly heard my conversation with Little Grape. I’m going to the Fear Circus next, the level of danger is unknown, and I can’t even ensure my own safety.

How about leaving you here with the Duke temporarily, with your former master looking after you for a while?

Since you have nearly finished reading the books on Puppet Making Skill, it would also be good for you to discuss your insights with him, as reading alone hardly leads to qualitative improvement."

"If this is the arrangement and command of my teacher, then I will stay here at the Duke’s," Thirteen said.

William could see Thirteen would rather follow him, but through their time together, William had seen her potential and absolutely could not let her take risks.

"Consider it a command then. I’ll come to pick you up after I get out of the circus," William decreed.

"I trust you, teacher."

The Transaction Seal activated, and a clone from the Golden Mask quickly emerged from the depths of the Grand Canyon. After briefly explaining Thirteen’s matter,

the Golden Mask charged a ’storage fee’ for the item based on size and type, then led Thirteen away.

Phew...

Back to being alone, William took a deep breath.

"I never expected my path would be connected to the circus... Just as well, I was thinking of going there to satisfy my curiosity anyway.

First, I’ll ask the people at the Black Ascaris Company if they have a way to know the Circus’s location."

As William again boarded the Ascaris Car and inquired about the Fear Circus, the conductor was stunned.

"Fear Circus, Mr. William, are you really sure you want to engage with this special organization? Rumors have it that any patient who visits the Fear Circus stays inside, with no one ever really leaving."

"Yes, can your company pinpoint the location of the circus? The price is negotiable."

"No one in the Old World can locate the circus, not even the leading transfer company—Rong Chang.

However, we can provide you with the geographic coordinates where the circus has appeared; perhaps with your skills, you can discern patterns and deduce where the circus will appear next."

"Alright, give me the coordinates first, and after I think for a while, I’ll tell you the destination."

The conductor quickly brought over a living map of the Old World formed by the Ascaris worms, marking the previous locations of the circus with fluorescent dots.

Epileptic seizure.

William rapidly copied this map in his brain, taking it to the Library in the Memory Palace for thorough analysis, but no matter from what angle, the number of suspicious places always exceeded ten.

William took out the flesh ball given by the Duke and swallowed half of it.

There was no apparent change, much like eating an ordinary beef ball.

Just as William was considering how to make use of this bit of Luck, the map that was initially on the table accidentally slid off. As he bent down to pick it up,

the map, due to the fall, folded in such a way that it exposed one of the deduced locations, while the other locations remained hidden due to the fold.