Prince Andre glanced into the distance, seemingly full of regret but in reality slyly winking at himself. A “bang” echoed in his brain as if something had completely snapped.
Despite being well-versed, he learned for the first time that someone could mock others so effectively without uttering a single swear word, leaving one’s heart pierced with countless wounds.
In Prince Andre’s heart, Royal Night Banquet was once his softest sanctuary, the only utopia to escape from the harsh realities. But after choosing to temporarily include Leon in this painting, this sacred land was severely polluted, turning from heaven into a torturous hell.
From the initial “clown theory” to those veiled stories targeting “Andre senior,” each felt like a blade piercing through his body, every stab causing excruciating pain.
“You damn bastard!” Clenching his teeth, glancing at Phelia far away held by the Chief Attendant and already sent out of the “painting,” Prince Andre couldn’t help but take a deep breath, preparing to leave. However…
“By the way.”
Similarly glancing at Phelia who’d been sent out, Leon munched on an apple and cheerfully continued addressing the guests:
“Speaking of Senior Andre, I just remembered another interesting thing.”
Again?! Hearing Leon’s opening line, the young prince involuntarily trembled, knowing it was definitely aimed at him. Not daring to stay longer, he closed his eyes and stepped out of the painting.
And Leon, whose gaze had been locked onto him, immediately noticed the young prince’s abnormality, stopping the prepared hellish joke and replacing the [Colorful Clown] badge with the [Crocodile Royal Family] emblem.
“Whoosh”
At the instant the two badges were switched, the multicolored paints on Leon’s body bizarrely wriggled, trying to form a new appearance according to Leon’s identity but failing repeatedly, ultimately splashing down and staining the grass beneath.
Bingo, the “identity” brought by my badge has higher authority than the one painted by Andre.
Taking advantage of Andre’s absence, confirming his guess, Leon exhaled deeply and reached for the balloon hanging at his waist.
Amidst the baffled gazes of the guests, Leon, having shed the clown identity, grabbed the “balloon” and wiped off the paint on the [Silver Knife], restoring it to its original form.
“What are you going to do now?!”
Seeing Leon pull out the knife again, the Chief Attendant rushed over in three quick steps, standing in front of Leon and glaring at him furiously.
“You…”
“I am a guest!”
Leon straightened up and glared back with the Crocodile Royal Family identity.
“Isn’t this the Royal Night Banquet? Can’t a member of the royal family attend?”
Hearing Leon’s words, the Chief Attendant laughed angrily and retorted: “You, a magician, dare to impersonate… Hmm?”
At this point, the Chief Attendant hesitated slightly, confusion clouding his eyes.
This person still looked the same, dressed in the same waterlogged attire, but somehow, he indeed seemed like a member of the royal family…
“Go away! Stop blocking me!”
Realizing that the [Crocodile Royal Family] emblem worked even within the painting, Leon pushed aside the bewildered Chief Attendant and walked towards the Bureau Director of Scorpio sleeping soundly amidst the seats under the equally bewildered gazes of the guests.
“Slap slap!”
After propping up the Scorpio Bureau Director, Leon slapped him hard on both cheeks before grabbing his shoulders and shaking him violently.
“Wake up! Don’t sleep like a fool!”
“Slap slap!”
“Slap slap!”
“Hurry! While Andre is gone, quickly take me out of this painting!”
But the Scorpio Bureau Director must have been extremely tired, sleeping profoundly. No matter how Leon tormented him, even kicking him in the crotch, he continued sleeping soundly, producing rhythmic snores that harmonized with the slaps.
Damn useless guy! Always letting me down at crucial moments! After futilely slapping him for a while, seeing the Director’s face turn red with improved complexion yet sleeping more peacefully, Leon sighed and temporarily abandoned the idea of waking him up for a righteous two-on-one fight.
Though the Scorpio Bureau Director wasn’t bad, he had some serious issues. Despite being fully equipped, during group battles, he always got controlled first.
Last time at Soulfall Black Abyss, he was exactly like this. Leon thought he could follow the main player and get an easy win, but this guy got dragged away by six Nightmare Ambassadors, trapped in their dream realm until the end.
This time was even worse. Squatting near the “eye” earlier and leading three teammates to a big loss, now he’s offline and AFK, fighting worse than any actor.
“Excuse me.”
Just as Leon hesitated whether to stab him twice with the Silver Knife, a voice unfamiliar in tone but familiar in accent suddenly sounded beside him.
When Leon turned around, a young woman wearing thick glasses stood behind him, holding a brain model filled with tubes, curiously observing him and asking:
“One mistake-free chapter available on 69 Book Bar!
“Have we met somewhere before?”
“You’re…”
“I’m a scholar from Zone 1 Research Area.”
Looking at Leon, who was unfamiliar yet gave her a sense of familiarity, the woman holding the model adjusted her glasses uncertainly and asked: “Have you been to Zone 1 Research Area? Or attended any academic conferences on brain function decomposition in the past five years? Or visited the soul encoding team I led?”
Soul Encoding Team? Led by you? Hearing this, Leon’s eyebrows twitched, instantly guessing the identity of the bespectacled lady.
“Are you Apheta 00?”
“Eh?”
The bespectacled lady was momentarily stunned, then nodded somewhat perplexedly: “I am indeed Apheta, but… what’s the 0?”
“0 is 1’s… uh, never mind, it’s not important.”
Shaking his still slightly drunk head, which made his thoughts wander aimlessly, Leon scrutinized the woman whose features resembled the old king and shared a quarter resemblance with Phelia, tentatively asking:
“So your real name is Apheta?”
“Yes…”
Looking at the man who seemed to know her but also didn’t seem to know her very well, the bespectacled lady couldn’t help but ask confusedly:
“Do you really know me?”
“Know you? Of course I know you!”
Glancing at Apheta’s body, where the paint distinguishing her from other “characters” was clearly added later, Leon nodded significantly.
“Even though you might have forgotten, our relationship is actually quite good!”
(Chapter End)
