"Click, click" shiny boots stepped on the wet mud. On this forest road, a richly dressed adult man walked alone with his shoulders twisted and his feet dancing in a minuet.
The man was wearing a black and purple fluffy robe, and the part that dragged on the ground was covered with mud. Wearing a top hat, the color matches the robe, with several feathers and sparkling gems on it.
In front of him was a deserted dirt road, and behind him were the three carriages parked on the roadside, his lifelong treasure.
The first carriage was magnificent, with a rectangular carriage made of metal. You could tell with the naked eye that the spacious space inside could accommodate a lot of people and goods.
Most of the painted patterns on the car panels have lost their original appearance due to exposure to wind and sun, and only a few characters of the circus show engraved on them are vaguely discernible.
The carriage in the middle is a poor one, with an old thin horse pulling a cart, and a huge rain sheet covering the mountains of goods. The whole carriage looks like an ugly moving tent, with some colorful flags hung on it as a sign. Funny embellishments.
The last carriage had no carriage, and an iron cage with wheels was fixed behind the front of the carriage. The size and size were enough for dozens of people to stand inside.
However, the door of the iron cage was open at this time, and the beast that was supposed to be locked inside had disappeared. Only half of the rabbit's head was left due to indigestion. The disappearance of this beast was obviously the reason why the convoy was stagnant. reason.
The man suddenly stopped and looked lovingly at the woods nearby. He bent down and made an exaggerated bow to the air.
"Dear gentlemen and ladies! Congratulations on being able to witness the most magical performance of this century! Here..." The man suddenly paused and pulled his collar with his hand, as if he was not satisfied with the performance just now. .
"No, no, the opening remarks should be shorter..."
While talking to himself, his golden eyes slowly narrowed again, and he saw a figure moving in the woods. It seemed that someone was coming.
The man slowly moved his hand towards the leather whip rolled around his waist. It wasn't until he saw a weirdo wearing a women's dress with a shrunken head pulling a male lion out from behind a big tree that the man greeted him with a smile as if nothing had happened.
"Ah, look whose little idiot is back. It's Rosen! My most loyal child! You brought that big cat back intact. I know that even though you look a little stupid, this is You can still handle small things."
As soon as he finished speaking, he saw two more delicate little faces emerging from the forest behind the freak named Rosen.
The girl among them looked like a little adventurer, very lively and cute. The boy behind her was wearing a black cloak and her expression was as cold as a frozen piece of wood.
Cesare and Anya followed the weirdo and walked in the woods for a long time. The weirdo pulled the lion and would only be amused no matter what he was asked. And if he walked slowly, the fool would stay where he was. Wait for Cesare and the two to follow.
After walking around in circles all morning, I finally walked out of the woods and found a dirt road, and found out that this freak's name was Rosen.
Rosen, who was leading the way, excitedly pulled the lion's mane and trotted to the man in the top hat. The lion was pulled so hard that it howled, but it never dared to bite him back.
Rosen waved a free hand in front of the man in the tall hat, then pointed at Cesare and Anya, taking a few steps as if he wanted to say something.
"They... are in the forest, there is a fire, they are helping me find a cat, they are friends." Rosen's mouth made a dull voice, and he stumbled over his words, which made people anxious. The man in the top hat only glanced at him briefly, and then turned his attention to the two children.
"This is rare. I dare you to make a guess. Are the two young masters and ladies... from the city of Carlius?" The man in the top hat said calmly, but the words he said when they first met made Cesare He and Anya were surprised at the same time.
"How do you know?" Cesare immediately became alert. The man in front of him was dressed in an exaggerated and funny manner. A red scarf covered half of his face below the nose, so that only his eyes could be seen.
While Cesare was looking at him, the man's eyes hidden in the shadow of the hat were also looking at Cesare and Anya with a half-smile.
His pupils were very small, revealing a large part of the whites of his eyes, and there was a tear-stained tattoo under his left eye. The long confrontation made people feel nervous.
"Don't be alarmed. I have been traveling around for many years. I have not learned any other skills, but I have honed my good eyes for seeing people. You two have extraordinary temperament and outstanding appearance at a young age. They are definitely not the children of farmers in the forest, but the nearest wealthy place. , there is only the city of Kalliu, but... I still can’t figure out why the two of you appear here?”
"What an amazing analysis..." Listening to the other party's explanation, Anya's face turned rosy with excitement, and she secretly praised the other party's reasoning. However, Cesare didn't find this surprising after hearing this. The two of them did not look like children from truly poor families.
After experiencing what happened in the abandoned town, it was hard for Cesare to trust strangers anymore, let alone the guy in front of him looked suspicious.
"If I want to introduce myself, can I start with you first? Why are you here?" Cesare threw the question back coldly.
The man looked at Cesare and shrugged his shoulders. Unexplained laughter came from under his scarf, then he bowed and put his hand on his chest.
"Don't be so nervous. We are just a poor and poor wandering circus. The villain is the leader and magician here. You can just call me Claudius."
Claudius took a half step back, raised his arms and pointed around. "As you can see, these three carriages behind me are all my personal property. If there is anything I can do to help you, please feel free to give me your instructions."
Looking in the direction of Claudius's finger, in addition to seeing the three carriages, Cesare also noticed a line about freak shows on the carriage carriages. Looking at Rosen's deformed back with a shrunken brain, no wonder the forest There will be such weirdos in the world.
I have long heard that some circuses will use the physical defects of disabled people as a selling point for their performances. Seeing it is better than seeing it. I never expected to see it here.
While Cesare was observing the three carriages, several strange little heads suddenly appeared from the back of the carriages. They all looked much younger than Cesare, probably only ten years old. They were all black and covered in mud. They were probably circus performers or child laborers.
They didn't speak either, they just hid behind the carriage and stared at Cesare and Anya with curious eyes. When Anya found them, she even made faces with them.
"The circus... why is it in the forest? Or are you just passing by?" Cesare was still a little worried.
"Well... that's not the case. Young Master, you may not know something. For a performance like ours, it is mainly for novelty. If it is performed once in a place, it will not be able to sell tickets for the second time. Alas..." Claudius Si hugged his shoulders and sighed with emotion.
"We know that Hunyadi is not a place for people to come, but life is hard, and we have to eat this fly meat! To be honest, if you think there is anything useful in this car, take it away That’s it, then just leave some coins so we can make some money.”
Claudius spoke with great emotion and force, as if he was acting in a drama, but considering the identity of the other party, he might be used to this way of speaking.
In addition, what the other party said does not make sense. Although the scale is smaller, the lion, the freak, the leader, the carriage and the workers are all complete. At least the other party's identity should not be deceiving. Feeling that the temptation was almost over, Cesare stopped asking questions.
"We did encounter some trouble...but we don't need your things. We need to take your carriage a little way west, okay?"
Cesare patted Anya, who was busy making faces at the child workers next to her. Anya quickly came back to her senses, her big eyes sparkling with innocence, and she clenched her hands as if praying, with a pitiful expression. The ground made Cesare feel uncomfortable.
"Please...sir."
"Hmm... to the west?" Claudius put his hand on his chin, raised his head and thought for a while. "Ah, I think we are just on our way, but there are no more vacancies on the carriage... I have to make you sit on the roof."
"This is not a problem." As soon as Cesare finished speaking, Claudius was eager to add his conditions. "And...if possible, the travel expenses will cost about two gold coins, plus the sword on the lady's waist. Can I reward the villain?"
"Sword?" Anya blinked and looked at her waist. The long sword with the rose pattern on the scabbard was indeed very attractive. Its blade was made of fine steel, and the hilt was wrapped in leather, which was comfortable and secure. The scabbard is engraved with exquisite patterns and decorations, embellished with small sapphires, and the all-white design shows elegance and solemnity.
This sword is not only a weapon, but more like a work of art. It is also a gift from his father on his birthday.
But at this moment, Anya was just thinking-oh, no wonder he can see that I am not a civilian.
This condition, which could be called rude, made Cesare angry. It was a good thing for the other party to ask for something in return. It was better to simply make money than to hide some conspiracy, but the other party's conditions were really unreasonable. Too high.
"Are you kidding me? What's the difference between this price and a robbery?"
"Don't say that. How can I have the courage to rob? I just love money all my life and rarely have the opportunity to do some business. If you really feel that it is inappropriate... Young Master and Miss, it does not mean that you must follow me. Take a small convoy."
Claudius was flattering and happy, which made people angry just looking at him.
Cesare's face darkened, thinking that if he really couldn't reach an agreement, it would be better to grab a carriage to save time. As long as he used the power of the bone staff, the other party was just a beast, a fool, a child laborer, etc., which should be more than enough to deal with. As long as you strike carefully, no one will be seriously injured, but this is also a last resort...
