Chapter 256: 255 Failed Negotiation and a Way to Break the Impasse

"Are we just leaving like this?"

After glancing back at the small tavern where noises clattered wildly, the princess in her serving uniform couldn't help asking:

"Mr. Elijah hasn't run away yet—if he stays there, he might…"

"Don't worry, he won't be harmed."

After tossing the baby goat onto his shoulder to settle down, Li Ang took the rag he'd just taken from the restaurant and wiped the sauce off the black goat's face as he replied:

"He's got someone watching over him—he's far safer than we are. Even if those three sailors just punched him, as long as Master Wang Erde is willing, even if a cruise ship ran him over, he'd flip over and jump right back up."???

What the hell is this?

Without the abnormality resistance provided by 【Materialism】, the princess was still just the tavern waitress "Agatha," and naturally didn't understand what Li Ang was saying. But remembering "Mr. Joseph's" usual bizarre "ramblings," she didn't press further, instead frowning with concern and suggesting:

"Mr. Joseph, if we turn the corner down the next street, we'll reach the police station—could you please go report it? I'm worried about the tavern…"

"The tavern won't have any problems!"

After wiping the sauce clean off the black goat, Li Ang tied it to his belt, then gripped the princess's shoulders firmly and said with serious expression:

"Wei… Agatha, listen to me!"

Seeing the princess's startled expression, Li Ang, preparing to try and lead her to escape, explained earnestly:

"What I'm about to tell you may sound unbelievable, but I swear every word is true—you're not a tavern waitress at all, but…" Hmm?

Feeling an inexplicable danger, Li Ang's hair stood on end as he suddenly looked up and saw a transparent thread—thicker than before by an incalculable amount—silently descending from the sky, aimed straight at the back of his skull!

It's the 【King of Drama】 coming for him!

Realizing the danger, Li Ang didn't use the Holy Spirit pendant to attack the thread; instead, he condensed his tangible spiritual power into a giant hand and violently shoved himself sideways, barely avoiding the descending thread.

But as a powerhouse with "Two-Goat Strength," the 【King of Drama】's ability was far harder to evade—the thick thread, thicker than an adult man's thigh, instantly shattered into nearly a hundred invisible filaments, instantly enveloping Li Ang and sticking every movable part of his body firmly in place.

"Damn you! How dare you ruin my play!"

With a voice thick with fury, as if a pause button had been pressed, the birds in the sky froze mid-flight, the fresh yet salty sea breeze halted its flow, the crash of waves against the pier ceased abruptly, and the entire world fell utterly still.

Then, dressed in a crisp double-breasted white suit and wearing a matching top hat, "Master Wang Erde" limped forward, leaning on his cane, standing before Li Ang with a face full of rage.

This must be the incarnation of the 【King of Drama】's will, right?

Bound entirely in threads, with only his eyes able to move, Li Ang shifted his gaze and stared fixedly at the furious 【Master of Drama】.

According to his deduction, the true form of this "Two-Goat" abnormality was this seaside town… or rather, the theatrical world it had fabricated.

That's why he'd immediately gathered information about the 【King of Drama】 upon entering—and to escape this fabricated world, besides brute force, he could target the 【King of Drama】's will incarnation, strike it hard enough to shatter its will and cause the world born from that will to collapse prematurely.

His original plan had been to lure out the 【King of Drama】's will and use the Holy Spirit pendant's spiritual shock to try and damage it—after all, creating such a vast world must consume enormous energy, and with the 【King of Drama】's remaining strength, it might not withstand the pendant's impact.

But now…

After sensing the 【King of Drama】's will strength, Li Ang shook his head with a soft tsk and wisely abandoned the idea of "charging" it.

This thing's will was too thick—solid as a concrete wall. He simply couldn't break through it. He'd have to think of another way.

…

"Y-you… how are you still moving?!"

Seeing Li Ang covered in hundreds of threads yet still able to shake his head and sigh, "Master Wang Erde" was slightly startled. He immediately tried to add more threads—but found the man merely twisted his body slightly, and all the filaments he'd unleashed snapped clean off, not a single one remaining.

"I can move because I'm immune to your control… Also, though the chance seems slim, I'd still like to try negotiating with you."

After reviewing his current options and realizing he had no real means to counter the 【King of Drama】, Li Ang, now free of the threads, pointed at the princess and said earnestly:

"If you let me and her leave, and guarantee that after this play ends, you'll release everyone trapped here, I'll help you…"

"No!"

Before Li Ang could finish his offer, the 【King of Drama】 flatly refused, raising his cane to point at the princess with an unyielding expression:

"You may leave after your part is done, but she is the female lead of 'Twelve Days Together'—she must stay!"

"Wait… you really have to finish this play?"

"Of course!"

Hearing Li Ang's words, "Master Wang Erde" said stubbornly:

"Even the worst play is better than one stopped mid-performance! Once my drama begins, nothing—not anything—can halt it!"

"But can you even continue this play?"

Pointing toward the tavern, Li Ang reminded the "single-minded master":

"I haven't seen this play, but if I'm not mistaken, the scene just played was meant to have the male and female leads encounter trouble together, quickly drawing them closer so the 'Twelve Days Together' invitation could be made.

But now, it was me who saved Agatha. Your male lead spoke up—but all he did was get beaten. Your play's already ruined. Is there still any point continuing?"

"There's every point! As for how to proceed, you needn't concern yourself, you disruptive guest!"

Shooting Li Ang an angry glare, "Master Wang Erde" coldly shooed him away:

"Also, since you're one of the ticket-holding audience members, I'll overlook this disruption today—but you're never allowed to watch any of my plays again. Neither I nor my Morning Star Troupe welcome you!"

"…"

So no negotiation after all?

After hearing "Master Wang Erde's" words, Li Ang sighed again as he stared at the strange door that had suddenly appeared before him, its surface inscribed with the word "Exit."

Leaving the princess behind was impossible. Though the 【King of Drama】 had shown no intent to harm anyone so far, and had even seemed communicative, sparking his hope for a peaceful resolution, it was still an abnormality—no matter how reliable it appeared, it couldn't be fully trusted.

Moreover, this thing was already on the brink of losing control; otherwise, it wouldn't have flown into a rage over two critical reviews and instantly trapped thousands. If this play ended poorly, who knew what extreme acts it might commit next.

And as a Clearance Officer, he had a duty to handle out-of-control abnormalities—to capture "Master Wang Erde" and hand him over to Headquarters. Clearly, there was nothing left to discuss. He'd overthought this…

"If you won't leave, then don't leave at all!"

After patiently waiting a while and seeing Li Ang still not heading toward the exit, "Master Wang Erde" sneered, shut off the exit door, and waved him off like a fly, his face twisted in disgust:

"I don't know why you're immune to my control, but I'm the creator of this world—I have countless ways to deal with you… Go lie at the bottom of the sea! Don't show your face in this city again until 'Twelve Days Together' ends!"

At "Master Wang Erde's" command, the world around Li Ang twisted violently, instantly shifting dozens of kilometers—moments before, a clean, empty street; the next, the dark, endless depths of the ocean.

Yet strangely, though the world around Li Ang had changed, when he took a step forward on the seabed, he inexplicably reappeared exactly where he'd been—standing once more on the deep blue street of the small town, as if nothing had ever changed.

What's going on? I'm the creator of this world—I can swap the sun for the moon! Why can't I move a mere supporting character?!

…

Thank you, 【Materialism】! If I get out of this alive, you're unquestionably MVP!

Naturally, he didn't tell "Master Wang Erde" why he was immune to teleportation. After glancing at the glowing crimson badge on his panel, Li Ang's lips curled slightly, then he looked up at the 【King of Drama】 and remarked with deep implication:

"You don't even understand your own created world. Looks like the drama critic was right—you really don't understand drama."??!!

Caught off guard by this sudden provocation, "Master Wang Erde" froze, then, upon realizing what Li Ang meant, his face flushed with rage as he roared:

"You—"

"Do you remember what I just did?"

Pointing again toward the tavern, Li Ang explained (and spun) earnestly:

"In your original script, my character, after demonstrating cowardice and highlighting Elijah's bravery, was meant to exit—easily discarded.

But now, things have changed: it was me who saved Agatha. And if this play has any audience, at least half their attention has shifted to me and the fleeing Agatha. If I'm suddenly dumped into the ocean now, can your play still continue?

For this theatrical world, structural integrity, logical coherence, and dramatic impact are fundamental rules it must obey. A character as important as me—one moment cleverly rescuing the heroine, the next vanishing without explanation—does that fit the world's rules?"

"…"

It… might really be because of this? But… but I'm the author, right?

After hearing Li Ang's plausible nonsense, "Master Wang Erde" felt something was off but couldn't find another reasonable explanation, so he stubbornly argued:

"Without you… it's a bit incomplete, but I'm the creator of this world—even the script for 'Twelve Days Together' was written by me, so…"

"You're just a scriptwriter—what do you know about 'Twelve Days Together'?"

After this exchange, Li Ang roughly gauged the 【King of Drama】's IQ and EQ, finding both slightly below human average. He narrowed his eyes slightly, then pushed harder, spinning wildly:

"In short, after that scene in the tavern, I've already been woven into the plot of 'Twelve Days Together'—you can't just delete me. Even as the world's creator, you can't blatantly violate the rules of the theatrical world. You've lost control over me now. Your only option is to accept my existence!"

"Damn it! You won't get away with this!"

Whether he believed Li Ang's nonsense or simply couldn't bear to let his painstakingly crafted play suffer an irreparable plot hole, "Master Wang Erde" hesitated briefly—then actually gave up trying to remove Li Ang from the plot, reluctantly accepting him.

"You wait—I'll rewrite the next few acts!"

Glaring at the bastard who had disrupted his play and openly provoked him, "Master Wang Erde" snarled:

"Don't think gaining a few lines means you can replace me as the master of this theatrical world. You're a half-baked amateur—you'll never write a script more popular than mine!

Once I finish rewriting the new plot, by the second… at most the third act's first scene, I'll expel you, this plague, from my world forever!"

"…"

Wait—whether you expel me or not is secondary… but what do you mean by "replace you as master of the theatrical world"?

After hearing "Master Wang Erde's" threat, Li Ang didn't get angry—instead, his brow twitched involuntarily, his eyes sharpening with thoughtful calculation.

Judging by his words… could it be that completely disrupting the original plot and rewriting it to be more popular with audiences would make me the new master of the theatrical world?