Century Amusement Park was built at the end of the last century. It was once the largest amusement park in Weigang City and was famous in Yubei Province. When Fang Xiu was studying at university in the provincial capital of Yubei, he once accompanied his classmates here to play.
However, after the construction of the new Weigang Disneyland and the establishment of other large and small new parks such as the Bayshore Waterfront Park, it fell into a complete trough. After supporting itself for several years, it finally announced its bankruptcy and closure two years ago.
When Fang Xiu stepped in, the entire amusement park was dark, silent, and filled with shadows, like a ghost town.
Weeds grew everywhere, vines entangled the original amusement facilities, and the fountain pool had long since dried up.
Abandoned sculptures and spliced dolls are placed on the roadside, looking particularly creepy in the darkness. A park bus painted with cartoon patterns is now rusted and lies on the side of the road like garbage.
The evening breeze blew across the cement road, and large pieces of fallen leaves floated and swirled. At this time, Fang Xiu heard the wind chimes on the rotating coffee cup facility next to him also ringing.
There is a huge difference between this and the last time Fang Xiu entered here.
In Fang Xiu's impression, although this place had begun to show signs of being outdated at that time, it was still very lively. At least most of the rides were in operation, and there were enthusiastic staff, noisy children, and couples holding hands.
The area here is very large, so there are vehicles inside. As Fang Xiu walked, a lot of memories and images were evoked.
Although only a few years had passed, to Fang Xiu, it felt like decades had passed. Coupled with the tremendous changes that had taken place during that time, the memories here seemed like things from his previous lifetime.
Fang Xiu walked straight ahead, passing through the eerie cement road, the huge fountain lake, and the arch bridge, and arrived directly in front of a large building deep inside.
The door was not locked, as if someone had already entered.
"Woo, woo, squeak!" The friction sound was followed by an old creaking sound.
However, at this time, all the lights inside the building lit up.
But it wasn't the light that was on.
It looked like the gas lamps of the early industrial era in the last century. Each one was shaped like a tumbler, with the handles on both sides being two big ears, and the gas lamps seemed to be burning their brains.
The lights were flickering, and they looked like decorative bronze sculptures, but their eyes were secretly looking down, observing Fang Xiu who had intruded.
The look of someone trying hard not to be seen, but unable to help himself.
“Someone is coming!”
“Someone is coming!”
"He's watching us!"
"What should I do? What should I do?"
"It seems he has discovered us!"
Alchemical gas lamps filled with strange meanings floated above the dark ceiling. The flickering lights jumped, one after another, spreading into the distance, illuminating the entire hall and the corridor behind it.
It seemed as if it was guiding Fang Xiu in the right direction, telling him that he should go forward.
They were whispering, as if they didn't want Fang Xiu to hear, or they felt that Fang Xiu couldn't hear them. However, this kind of divine language was only inaudible to ordinary people. Anyone who was a professional could hear their conversation clearly.
But most people would probably go crazy if they saw this.
Fang Xiu stretched out his hand and saw an alchemical gas lamp being pulled down and falling into Fang Xiu's hand.
"Ah!" A sharp cry came out from the alchemical gas lamp's mouth, which was very big, exaggerated and funny.
"He found us!"
"Run away!"
“Discovered!”
At the same time, the formation of all the alchemical gas lamps above suddenly became chaotic, as if they were frightened, like a group of frightened birds and beasts, making sharp and panicked sounds.
Fang Xiu ignored them and just walked forward carrying the trembling alchemical gas lamp.
He was looking at the alchemical gas lamp. Fang Xiu shook it and the alchemical gas lamp trembled with fear. Fang Xiu's eyes went through his body but could not find his soul.
"It's not an intelligent alchemical life!" The first essential point for an intelligent creature is that it must have a soul. Without a soul, this thing is just an empty shell.
When Fang Xiu saw this thing just now, he thought he had seen the supreme secret of alchemy, a technology that even surpassed large-scale space projection and mythical floating cities, and intelligent alchemical life.
"Is it just running according to the established settings?" Fang Xiu took a look and roughly understood. Compared with the intelligent alchemical life, this thing is much more ordinary. It is just an ordinary toy.
However, Fang Xiu could basically tell from the strange puppet, the tumbler alchemical gas lamp, and the space witchcraft that the time traveler Gerald was most likely an alchemist.
And he is definitely an alchemist beyond imagination, incomparable to the one who received the initiation in the alien world broadcast.
The building was filled with dust and a mess, with broken glass all over the floor, overturned tables and chairs, and the paper on the old bulletin board had turned yellow and the words were blurred.
There were some discarded sundries piled up on the front desk, as well as a ram doll. On the wall was a poster for a stage play called Snow White, half of which had fallen off.
Fang Xiu moved forward little by little, as if he already knew his destination. He passed through two corridors and went up to the second floor.
When they got here, human figures began to appear. Under the dim light of the alchemical gas lamp, behind the ticket counter stood a puppet wearing a tall hat, exactly the same as the one Fang Xiu had encountered before.
Fang Xiu's eyes flashed, and he immediately saw a strange symbol on its forehead, representing 20.
"Give me a ticket!" Fang Xiu stood in front of the ticket counter and said to the top-hatted puppet.
The top-hatted puppet glanced at Fang Xiu, raised the corners of his mouth, and said nothing.
But he stretched out his hand, and with his arm swinging mechanically, he slowly pulled out something that looked like a card from nothingness. On the card was a figure hidden in a black robe, with flames burning behind him, which was extremely mysterious.
He handed it to Fang Xiu respectfully and gentlemanly. Fang Xiu took it, looked at the front, and then looked at the back. It was a complicated alchemical formula with dense runes on it. This also confirmed Fang Xiu's guess that Gerald should be an alchemist.
At the same time, there is a line of words, elegant and unrestrained.
"A magician who deceives the world!"
"Great Gerald!"
Fang Xiu took a look and realized that this should be the ticket. It should introduce the show that Gerald was going to perform, or his past glory.
"Alchemical puppets, life alchemical gas lamps, space witchcraft, let me see if there is anything else worth looking forward to!"
Fang Xiu held the ticket and walked inside.