Shade took back his deck, and the three people at the table drew their first cards together:
“The boy said: I am willing to seal you with my whole life, just like my grandfather did.”
He saw that his first card was Star 12 and smiled:
"And this time, the story begins when the boy takes the devil away."
"The devil agreed to the boy's wish, signed a soul contract, moved into the boy's soul, and followed the boy to a distant place."
Mr. Asmon's deep but still somewhat greasy voice began to tell the devil's story again. In the dim kerosene lamp of a country tavern, listening to such a story while playing Rhodes cards was quite atmospheric.
"The demon did not harm the boy, but it whispered in his ears day and night, trying to corrupt his soul. The boy, however, remembered the sacrifices of his family, so he just endured it in silence."
"If someone keeps nagging me, even if it's a beautiful cat in a circus, I can't stand it."
Magician Winston muttered, and the three of them reached for the second card together.
Xia De raised his eyebrows and saw that the card in his hand was Star 8:
"It's 8 p.m."
So he knocked on the table to indicate that he was standing and showed his total points.
Mr. Winston and Mr. Asmon continued to draw cards:
"The boy left his hometown and walked far away. He grew up day by day, and the demon inhabiting his soul also gave him some unusual powers. The grown-up boy walked a long way, and one day, he passed by a village by the river."
Shade looked at the demonologist, only to see him place his three cards on the table:
"At 19:00, I will stop trading."
"I have 20 points. Maybe you can try again and draw another one."
Shade reminded, and Mr. Asmon raised the corners of his mouth, lowered his eyebrows and said:
"I never gamble on luck. I am happy to accept the current situation. Since fate has given me so much, I will accept it."
The magician on the other side was in a dilemma. He held his three cards and looked at Shad's 20 points, frowning deeply.
"You're 20 too?"
Shad picked up the glass and took a sip of the newly served butterbeer, a drink that actually did not contain alcohol.
"Yeah, I'm not happy with a tie, but if I try to draw another card, I'm sure I'll bust."
The magician said, and then suggested to Shade:
"How about we each draw another card and compare the points on the last card?"
"I have no objection."
As Shade spoke, he looked at Mr. Asmon, who shook his head and continued telling the story:
"In that small village by the river, the young man who was injured for killing the evil Cyclops was taken care of by a young girl. The girl, who had never left the village, had bright eyes, long silky hair, and a smile as bright as summer flowers. Just like in all the stories, she fell in love with the brave young man. Even though the young man knew he shouldn't have feelings for anyone else, he inevitably fell in love with the young girl."
"I am Sun 8."
The magician drew an extra card, and Shade revealed his own card:
"I'm... Moon 9. I'm so sorry, I won the first game."
Shade said with a smile, while the magician muttered something about bad luck and signaled the start of the next round.
All three of them drew the first card of the second round, but no one looked at the bottom card, and directly took the second card:
"The love between a young man and a girl should be a tragedy, right?"
Xia De asked Mr. Asmon:
"What did the demon do?"
He, along with the magician who was also very interested in the story, looked at the demonologist, whose eyes were fixed on Shade:
"Love is often unreasonable. Even though he was carrying a demon, the determined young man still fell deeply in love with the girl. If he had not chosen to spend his entire life sealing and guarding the demon, this would have been a wonderful love story. But unfortunately... the demon did nothing. It just whispered in the young man's ear, praising the girl's kindness and the beauty of love."
“Tsk tsk.”
Shade and the magician were both shocked. They both had a premonition that this would be another story that ended in tragedy. However, they didn't know how the story would end.
"Flowers 9, Stars 9. At 18:00, I'm on hold."
Mr. Asmon said, and Shad looked at his hand, but it was only Sun 3 and Moon 11, so he had to draw the next card.
Magician Mr. Winston also chooses to continue drawing cards, and the story continues:
"The devil seemed to have accelerated the healing process of the young man's injuries, and he soon regained the ability to travel again. The young man's silence let the girl know that he was about to leave. So, on a night with a starry sky and a silver moon hanging high in the sky, the young girl invited the young man to stay here and settle down next to the barn."
Shade sighed and looked at his third card:
"I feel like my mood has gotten worse. Flower 5, I'm at 19, trading is suspended."
The magician looked at the 18 points in his hand, then reached for the fourth card. After flipping it open, he sighed in frustration and threw all four cards on the table:
"The last card turned out to be 13 of flowers. I busted."
"Then I win."
Shad smiled and took two gold crowns from the empty plate. The special card was still in the magician's deck, and he would wait until the game was over before taking it away.
"Now, it's the match between Mr. Winston and Mr. Asmon. Oh, Mr. Asmon, please continue your story."
"That night, the girl's eyes were as bright as stars, her rosy lips were more delicate than new spring flowers, and her black hair was like the feathers of the most noble night crow. But in the face of the invitation, the young man remained silent."
"His mood should be very complicated, just like mine now."
The magician, who had already lost his special card, said, nervously drawing the first hidden card and the second card, then his eyes lit up and he showed his hand:
"The second card is my circus tragedy, the headless clown!"
“The rules that must be activated during the settlement phase are not friendly rules.”
Shade commented, and Mr. Asmon also drew the first two cards, without even looking at them, and continued to draw cards:
"The young man knew what he was carrying, and he also knew what the consequences would be if he chose to stay. So he rejected the girl's invitation, and then killed her."
Somehow, Shad was not surprised at all.
Mr. Asmon still kept his eyes on Shad and, without even looking at the third card, he tapped the table to indicate that he was standing still.
"Is he angry because that girl almost ruined his resolution?"
The magician asked, carefully turning over his third card, and then shouted:
"Is there such a thing?"
The first three cards, Moon 7, Star 3, Moon 11, were exactly 21 points. But due to a special rule, Star 3 was removed and 5 was added, so his final score was 23 points, which was a bust.
Mr. Asmon turned over his three cards, then put his hands together and smiled. The total points were only 12, but he still won. So the demonologist took out 5 crowns from the empty plate and put them in his pocket. Shade pushed the plate with only 1 crown left to the magician. Although the latter was annoyed, he was more concerned about the ending of the story:
“Why on earth would young people do this?”
"The young man knew that he had fallen deeply in love with the girl. Even if he left now, he would miss her for the rest of his life. In order to prevent the devil from returning here after his death and collecting the girl's soul just like he returned to his hometown to collect the souls of his relatives after leaving his grandfather, the young man took the initiative to kill her and free her soul.
Then, the young man put on his bag again and walked towards the distant horizon. He was free, and her soul was free too. "
At this moment, Shade had the same expression as the magician, both of them pursed their lips and had tense faces. The two looked at each other and both found it difficult to evaluate this story:
“I can’t say that what the young people did was completely wrong.”
All Shad could say was:
"From the previous three stories, the young man's premonition is correct. Even if he leaves, when his life comes to an end, the devil will definitely change into his appearance and return to the girl..."
"But the young man killed his passionate lover just like that. This is too... Even the best bard in our circus couldn't come up with such a story. However, I must admit that this is a good story."
The magician also commented, and Shade asked again:
"So, is there any sequel to the story?"
"Of course there are. There are still many chapters to this strange and long story. But, just like last time, we will tell it next time."
Mr. Asmon picked up the wine glass, tilted his head back and drank it down with a gulp. His Adam's apple rolled and a small amount of wine slid down his stubble of beard.
Magician Mr. Winston sighed, picked up the remaining 1 crown, and handed the Star 3 Circus Tragedy: Headless Clown to Shade:
"It's yours now. You exchanged a special card for a game of cards, an unfinished story, and a gold coin. It's worth it, I guess."
Then he stood up and said:
"It's getting late. If I don't go back now, the captain will punish me to clean the stables. Nice to meet you two. And Mr. Asmon, if there is a chance to meet next time, please continue to tell your story."
Shade stood up to bid farewell, while the demonologist just nodded with his glass in hand. The two watched the somewhat disinterested magician disappear to the other side of the tavern, which was still bustling after dark.
Then, Xia De sat down and picked up the cup again. Under the increasingly dim kerosene lamp, he leaned forward slightly and continued the original topic:
"The demon story ends here for now. So, Mr. Asmon, are you interested in talking to me about the local demon rumors?"