The black worm train arrives directly at the entrance of the town with a huge sign saying "Meniere".
Before getting off the bus, the attendant kindly reminded us:
"Mr. William, I need to remind you of a few things about the captive area. Although there are infected humans in captivity here, they are very weak compared to you, but the jointly signed protection order ensures their personal safety.
Do not kill unless necessary, or you may be directly marked by the monastery and become a prisoner."
"Oh? Foreign humans are still protected... Is it because of the fertility restrictions in the old world?"
"Yes, the infected humans from your world are the key to stabilizing the population of the Old World. Without a protection order, these homeless humans will become slaves, goods, or even food for some extremely sick people in a few days.
We will not waste your time. We hope Mr. William can find the Circus of Fear as he wishes and ride our train again."
"Thank you very much."
As he got off the train and saw the small town, William actually felt like he was returning to the human world.
What surprised William was that this small town called the captive area was not only lively, but even quite prosperous.
The electricity supply was something I had never expected. There were lights shining through the windows of every house, and I could see a hanging light bulb hanging in the living room.
Although he did not see any power station, William quickly confirmed one thing through the epileptic brain: the electricity here was generated by multiple patients with brain diseases.
Of course, the amount of electricity generated in this way is very small, and can only support each household to turn on a lamp to ensure brightness. Most people use candles, and notices to save electricity are posted everywhere on the streets.
Walking in the town, William also discovered that there was already a relatively complete economic system here. The infected humans made the most of their own diseases for the construction and development of the town, and many entertainment facilities were developed on the basis of complete self-sufficiency.
"The infected humans living here seem to be living better than in the original world. They no longer have to worry about anything, and their food, clothing, housing and transportation are all solved. They can even develop entertainment projects. This..."
William shook his head to clear some dangerous thoughts from his mind.
Although he accepts the disease, he does not believe that the disease can really lead all mankind into a better era.
As he walked, William soon noticed a problem. Although the whole town looked "vibrant", it seemed a bit empty. Many houses with lights on were empty.
Even the important security stations had their lights on, with only a few people on duty.
According to William's initial estimate, about 50% of the town's residents were missing.
I already have the answer in my mind as to where these residents went and why they left in such a hurry without turning off the lights.
Whoosh! With a quick move, he stepped onto the highest point of the town. With Little Grape's global vision, he soon discovered that some people were moving in a certain direction outside the town.
Whether riding a bicycle, jogging, or even using the ability of the disease to slide or crawl, they all look very anxious.
"Has the circus extended an invitation to this town?"
William did not hesitate any longer and followed in one step, searching for the circus with the crowd.
They walked for several hours until the light from the underground sun completely disappeared and all that was left was a gray wasteland. The townspeople gradually slowed down and stopped their bicycles.
There are a lot of bicycles parked not far away, and this is our destination.
A strange thing happened.
William did not see any buildings related to the circus.
The group of people in front of him disappeared one by one, as if they had stepped into a different dimension that was completely isolated from reality... No matter how Little Grape enhanced her vision, it was of no avail. People disappeared at fixed locations without even a trace of their breath remaining.
"What's going on?"
William randomly captured an infected human and educated him on the spot.
When the indoctrination was completed, the townspeople completely forgot what they were doing. They knew nothing about the circus, and could not step into the unknown space like other townspeople. They did not have any tickets or props in their hands.
This situation forced William to sit down and meditate.
"This group of people must have gone to a different dimension that I cannot access at all, or it could be said that it was an independent dimension created by the circus.
The infected humans living in the town are drawn here because they have some kind of "permission", so they can see the entrance to the other dimension and be allowed to enter it.
And I was not invited, I didn't have permission, I just followed them and couldn't even see the circus.
No wonder even the number one transfer company couldn’t get the circus’ location. It turns out there is such a setting.
It seems I have to find a way to get this unknown permission. 』
Thinking of this, William terminated his educational relationship with the townspeople and went straight back to the town to implement his plan.
Shortly after he left, a crack appeared in the space where the circus was located.
A pair of slender legs and feet wrapped in black and white socks stepped out.
Her lips painted with black lipstick moved up and down. "Are you here? William... Since you already understand the requirements for admission, just come in slowly by yourself. It's a good opportunity to see how far you can go without the help of connections."
…
After returning to town,
William went straight to the town hall and without using any spiritual means, he took out a sum of money and directly bought the resident status and an idle property here.
The property prices in this kind of enclosure are very cheap and can be transferred directly with just a few dozen coins.
William, who officially became a member of the town, stayed at home honestly. He neither practiced nor meditated, but fell asleep.
When he woke up from his dream,
The vision that could see through the house immediately captured signs that the mailbox outside the door had been touched, and when the vision wanted to continue to see the situation between the mailboxes, a sense of "fear" attacked William along the vision.
Force them to close their eyes and turn off the perspective effect.
William walked out of the door with doubt and caution, opened the mailbox, and found a ticket in it.
When I saw the ticket directly with my naked eyes, I didn't feel any fear.
"Is it some kind of rule of the circus? Once you do something against the rules, you will be attacked by "fear"? This is something you need to pay attention to, and it may become the focus of your contact with the circus in the future."
When William held the ticket in his hand,
The Eye of Grayness immediately caught a hint of strange aura, which entered his body through the ticket and tried to go to the brain area along the nerves. Just when he was about to use his epileptic brain to resist this mental invasion.
A familiar voice came from the surroundings:
"The ticket is just a physical carrier. Only by accepting this mental invitation can you truly go to the circus."
"Katherine!"
William decisively untied the defense line of his brain, allowing the strange breath to flow into his mind, and accepted the so-called "circus invitation". At the same time, he looked around, but did not find any acquaintances.
Memory Palace - Library
There was an extra huge circus poster on the wall, and the dark outlines on it corresponded to the important figures in the circus.
The feeling of traction also came, leading William to the gray wasteland again, to the place full of bicycles.
This time,
The townspeople no longer disappeared for no reason, but instead lined up one by one and walked into the circus tent that looked like a dark castle.
When he saw such a magnificent, dark and eerie tent that even seemed to swallow everything, a sense of fear spread through William's mind.
However, the corners of William's mouth curled up unconsciously. In addition to the insignificant fear, there was a greater sense of excitement in his brain.
When he met Catherine for the first time, learned about the concept of the circus, and saw the talented people there, he became full of curiosity about it.
Even without the Duke's guidance, even if it had nothing to do with his path, William would have come to the circus to take a look.
Faced with the crowded "audience channel" and the completely deserted "recruitment channel", William decisively looked towards the latter and at the recruitment sign at the entrance of the channel.