---o---
Two hours later.
Gasping for breath and utterly exhausted, Mei finally gave up her resistance and returned to the spot where she had first parted with Vill-V.
During the time she had been searching for the elusive ringmaster, a small stall had been set up, and the woman who called herself the master of the circus was now watching her with a beaming smile.
"Ahem? Tired from playing?"
Vill-V looked up, her beautiful eyes narrowed. Under the brilliant glow of the surrounding lights, she appeared magnificent and mysterious.
She set down the playing cards she had been idly shuffling and pointed a finger at the seat opposite her. "Please, have a seat. It seems you've had a chance to experience my little surprises. How did you find them?"
Her tone was one of absolute confidence and certainty, as if, in this moment, she was the sovereign of this place.
And in the end, the current Mei was just a third-year middle school student, not the future Valkyrie who had been tempered by countless partings and hardships.
Thus, after a series of Vill-V's practiced tricks—a disorienting illusion combined with the subtle terror of clowns—she predictably surrendered and obediently sat down.
Mei gritted her teeth, noticing that many of the surrounding spectators were casting envious glances her way.
She really couldn't understand what was so great about being targeted and toyed with like this.
Yes, she hadn't been idle during that time. She had long since used her phone to look up information about this circus.
The information indicated that it was a world-famous circus, and matching its reputation was that strange girl.
She had no real name online, using only a simple "V" as her moniker. And aside from her magic, she had another well-known hobby.
That is, whenever the Helix Circus was on tour, she would randomly select someone from the visiting crowd to be the target of her pranks.
The target would then receive a lavish gift from the Helix Circus afterward. The contents of the gift varied each time, but it was said to be something almost no one could refuse.
However, as the current target, Mei was in a foul mood. "Alright, you win," she said, annoyed. "Just say it, what do you really want, oh-so-famous V?"
She directly used Vill-V's pseudonym for a simple reason: she wanted to make it clear that she knew she was just being played with.
Therefore, the disorienting maze and the clowns were all fake, just a magician's tricks.
Having said this, Mei raised an eyebrow, looking at Vill-V with a hint of triumph.
However, Vill-V did not show the slightest hint of disappointment as Mei had expected. On the contrary, she simply arched an eyebrow and casually pushed two strangely shaped top hats toward her.
"Ahem. Since Miss Mei already knows my identity, I won't be coy. That's right, you were indeed toyed with. But alas, it's a pity... the magic show is already over."
Mei was speechless. "It's over? Then what are you waiting for me for? Why won't you let me leave?"
Vill-V propped her head up with a hand. "Oh, my, don't be in such a hurry. Didn't you look it up? Every spectator I've pranked gets to receive a mysterious gift. And that gift is inside one of these two hats."
"A gift? I don't need it. I just want to leave now, or I'm calling the police."
"My, my, I told you not to rush. As soon as you open one, I'll let you go. How about it? With just a small lift of your hand, you can be on your way."
Seeing Mei still hesitating, Vill-V finally showed her fox's tail. She pushed the two hats closer to Mei.
The two hats were of a very retro design, the kind commonly used by magicians. Typically, a magician might produce a flock of doves or a cute white rabbit from one.
But today, Mei, as the participant, would not be witnessing magic, but simply making a choice.
"Please, Miss Mei."
Vill-V's smiling whisper sounded like the murmur of a demon, causing Mei to press her lips together as her irritated gaze swept across the table.
"Honestly... you'll let me go immediately after I open it."
With that, Mei arbitrarily picked up the hat on the left. The moment she saw what was inside, her previous annoyance was replaced by pure shock.
Her eyes widened, and she slammed a hand down on the few thin documents inside, her gaze turning ice-cold in an instant.
"This is... a file on my father... No, who exactly are you?"
"Ahem. As you can see, I am but a simple magician."
As Vill-V spoke, she gently pressed down on the hand Mei had placed on the file, a flippant smile playing on her lips.
"So? Do you want them? If you do, you'll have to agree to a small condition of mine."
"As long as you help me with a few small favors, these documents, which are more than enough to prove your father's innocence, will be yours. What do you say?"
---o---
"Mei, are you really okay?"
"Mm... I'm fine. Everything's fine."
"Alright then. Are you ready to sleep?"
"Yes, okay... I'll be relying on you again tonight."
"It's no trouble."
Hanging up, Fu Li stared at the dark screen of his phone. Although he felt something was off with Mei, considering her current situation, it seemed understandable.
"Sigh... this must be so hard on her."
Fu Li sighed, habitually opened the window, and picked up the flute beside him, beginning to play a slow melody.
During this period, to help Mei escape the torment of her nightmares, he had been relying on his flute, imbued with a special power, to lull her to sleep almost every night.
Once he sensed that Mei had fallen asleep, Fu Li put down the flute and looked at Snakey beside him.
"I'll be counting on you to keep watch for me tonight as well."
"Mm. Don't worry, boss."
As usual, Fu Li rested his head on Snakey's soft lap and slowly closed his eyes.
[Entering Simulator...]
[Host is entering the Flame-Chaser Simulation for the sixth time. Number of lottery draws +1]
[Re-roll talents?]
"Yes."
As the prompt faded, the familiar slot machine appeared before Fu Li once more. After he pulled the lever, the symbols on the reels began to spin.
[Ding! Congratulations, Host, for acquiring the sixth talent.]
[Sixth Talent: Amazing Magician (Your finger dexterity is greatly increased. You possess your own unique brand of magic and can store the power of any Flame-Chaser within a special playing card, summoning it at a critical moment.)]
[Note: Storing a Flame-Chaser's power will cause no harm to the original body.]
[Entering Simulation...]
[Current Simulation Scene: Vill-V's Personal Drama, "Will of the Swarm"]
Will of the Swarm, huh?
Fu Li slowly opened his eyes, finding himself in what appeared to be an old villa.
He realized that this time, he wasn't starting from infancy, though he wasn't old either.
Thankfully, it was still his body, just that of a seven-year-old.
Though young, the power of a MANTIS was undeniable. He was, without a doubt, the strongest creature on the planet's surface.
So, why am I tied up?
With that thought, Fu Li exerted a bit of force, instantly snapping the ropes binding his wrists. He then silently began to absorb the background of his current simulated life.
[You are an orphan. Around the age of five or six, your parents passed away in an accident, leaving you only this somewhat dilapidated villa.]
[You chose not to go to an orphanage and survived with difficulty on the inheritance your parents left you.]
[Due to your personality, you have no friends here. Thus, at a young age, you were targeted by a group of thugs. They tied you up here and stole your home and your money.]
[Finally, they left you bound here, telling you with sinister smiles that they had decided to let you starve to death.]
[You were powerless to resist, until your arrival.]
My arrival?
This transmigration... is a bit strange. It feels like it was all arranged.
Fu Li frowned. His human pupils morphed into the vertical slits of a cat's, quickly adjusting to the dim light of the basement.
Once his vision adapted, Fu Li saw a crumpled flyer lying at his feet.
"This is..."
A thought struck him. Temporarily pushing aside the matter of the thugs, he bent down and picked up the flyer.
W Magic Troupe?
Looking at the promotional image on the flyer, Fu Li vaguely recalled a casual conversation where Vill-V had mentioned that the place she was born was in this very magic troupe.
It seemed he now knew where to find his person.
Author's Note: I organized the outline for the Vill-V arc today, so the update is a bit late. But I have to say, writing the simulations is so much easier than writing the real-world plot.