Chapter 184: Tourist Rules
The Circus Troupe Leader maintained his professional smile as he produced a stack of papers from seemingly nowhere, tossing them into the air with a magician's flourish. The sheets drifted down, each one landing precisely in the waiting hands of every player.
Haruto caught one.
The paper was of surprisingly high quality, its edges framed with complex, dark patterns. Ten lines of striking red text were scrawled across its surface, demanding attention.
[Dream Circus Tourist Rules]
[1. Open daily from 10:00 AM to 8:00 PM. Please remain in the Residential Area after the park closes.]
[2. Applaud. Applaud. Remember to applaud.]
[3. Feeding the Animal Actors is prohibited.]
[4. Only accept gifts from Clowns in public settings. It is strictly forbidden to privately accept any items from a Clown (especially Red Balloons).]
[5. When the merry-go-round spins silently on its own, it is impossible for there to be children sitting on it. Do not make eye contact. Immediately proceed to purchase snacks. If no abnormalities occur within ten minutes, the snacks may be consumed, provided no other rules are violated.]
[6. If you encounter difficulties, such as getting lost, you may trust the Staff in blue uniforms. Never follow those in red uniforms.]
[7. The Circus has no Animal Zone and no Breeders.]
[8. Certain performances possess a degree of danger. Avoid mimicking them. If you feel intense discomfort during a performance, you may close your eyes until that segment ends, but never leave mid-performance.]
[9. Please enjoy this journey and keep smiling. Do not cry under any circumstances. Your happiness is the sole pursuit of this troupe.]
Below the rules, a clown's head was drawn with simple, stark lines, its mouth stretched into a massive, unnerving grin.
Haruto scanned the list, his expression unreadable, before flipping the paper over. The back wasn't blank. Instead, it featured a large, stylized drawing of a clown, its form evenly divided into eighteen empty squares by a grid of thin lines.
"I believe you clever tourists have already noticed the clown pattern on the back of your 'tourist rules,' haven't you?"
The Circus Troupe Leader held up his own copy, his smile beaming. His voice possessed an extremely penetrating quality, echoing in the open space as if he were standing right beside each and every person.
No one answered. The air grew thick with unspoken apprehension.
Haruto glanced around. Most players had their heads bowed, their eyes fixed intently on the papers in their hands. In an unknown situation like this, no one wanted to be the first to stick their neck out.
He, likewise, saw no reason to make any rash moves.
It was said that even the most powerful Destined Players didn't dare to mess around in a rule-based instance. If the rules were set by a ghost, there might be ways to manage it. But if one was unlucky enough to violate the rules of the instance itself, the penalty was absolute erasure.
'Although Yukari could probably intervene and pull me back in an emergency,'he mused,'that kind of crude interference is easily detected by the Death Game. The risk is too great.'
Seeing that no one was replying, the Troupe Leader wasn't the least bit annoyed. His smile remained as bright and artificial as ever.
"It seems our tourists are quite shy. Then I shall speak plainly," he announced cheerfully. "This event lasts for three days. Your only task during this time is to collect eighteen pattern pieces and assemble the complete clown."
Having said his piece, he turned and led the group through the main gates, officially welcoming them into the Circus grounds. As he walked, he continued his introduction in a grand, stage-like tone.
"Our Circus has a long and storied history, having been established in the year 10725. It has been fifty-six years since its founding..."
Eventually, the procession stopped before the first large, open-air tent. The Troupe Leader reached out, pulled back the heavy curtain flap, and gestured for everyone to enter.
Haruto, being near the front, walked in with the first wave of people.
The interior of the tent was dimly lit. In the center, he could vaguely make out the silhouette of a large, spinning wheel used for knife-throwing acts. A row of throwing knives was neatly arranged on a table nearby.
He raised an eyebrow slightly, his gaze sweeping across the dark tent.
'They haven't turned the lights on? Or is the darkness itself part of the game's difficulty?'
Just then, the Troupe Leader ambled over to a support pillar and pressed a switch.
The lights flickered twice before flaring to life, flooding the tent's interior with a harsh, bright glare.
Everyone could now clearly see the metal wheel and the knife table at the center of the stage. They also noticed a rusty iron cage shoved into a corner. Locked inside were several scrawny pigs. Startled by the sudden light, they squealed and immediately shrank back, huddling together in the furthest corner of the cage.
Haruto took out his ghost phone and glanced at the screen. As expected, there was no signal, but the time was clearly displayed—10:00 AM sharp.
"Everyone! Welcome to our classic attraction, the Big Wheel Knife Throw!" the Troupe Leader boomed.
He strode over to the cage and, after a moment of random selection, plucked one of the terrified pigs from the corner. The small animal seemed to sense its fate and struggled frantically, but it was so thin and weak that it was easily overpowered and strapped onto the metal wheel.
After finishing this, the Leader clapped his hands together and turned to the crowd, his smile unwavering.
"The rules are simple! The wheel spins, and the tourists throw the knives. You have six chances in total. As long as you successfully pin at least four knives into the iron frame of the wheel without harming our 'Animal Partner,' it counts as a success. If you fail..."
He paused, his grin never faltering. "...you will receive a small punishment."
He then made an elegant, inviting gesture towards the stage.
The tent was silent. No one responded. In a place this eerie, no one was willing to be the first to take that risk.
After a long moment, the Leader rubbed his temples in exaggerated distress. "Oh dear, if you all act like this... it makes things very difficult for me."
As soon as he spoke, a knot formed in Haruto's stomach. He subconsciously glanced at Kaguya beside him, his hand ready to deliver a preemptive whack with his fan. He half-expected her to flip the table and retort, 'Difficult? Then don't do it!'
Fortunately, whether she sensed the trap or simply wasn't in the mood, she made no move. Haruto breathed a quiet sigh of relief.
"Since the tourists are so shy, how about this?" the Leader continued. "There will be a reward for the first person brave enough to try. Normally, one success grants one to three Clown Stamps."
He took out a small, clown-faced rubber stamp, feigned a moment of hesitation, and then, with a look that said 'oh, what the hell,' slammed it down on the table.
"Today, the reward is doubled! And for the first person who dares to come up and succeeds..."
He paused deliberately, his eyes sweeping over the crowd, before that professional smile snapped back into place.
"I'll take charge! I'll give you three to nine Stamps directly! That's enough to complete a large section of the pattern!"
A ripple of murmurs went through the crowd. Nine puzzle pieces would be half the entire task. The reward was incredibly tempting.
But as they looked from the sharp, gleaming knives to the spinning metal wheel, most people still didn't dare to move. No one knew what the so-called 'small punishment' entailed. For all they knew, they could end up replacing the pig on the wheel themselves.
Just as the tension reached its peak, a hand went up in the crowd. A man in his thirties stepped forward.
He wore practical, dark clothing, and the thick calluses on his fingers marked him as someone experienced. He walked confidently to the table, picked up a knife to test its weight, and addressed the Troupe Leader with a steady voice.
"Is it true? If I hit the wheel four times without harming the pig, I get one stamp, five times for two, and six times for three?"
The Troupe Leader's smile widened. "Yes, according to the rules of the knife-throwing game, that is indeed the case. Plus, with the reward for being the first participant, your prize will be tripled."
"Fine," the man declared, his voice firm. "I'll do it."
The Troupe Leader's grin stretched even wider. "Excellent! Our first warrior! Everyone, let's give him some applause!"
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