Chapter 3483: Clowns

It took a full half-minute for the closed corridor to stretch out again. The blood water remaining on the flesh-and-blood walls was being slowly reabsorbed by the walls. Although he didn't know what the consequences would be of being swallowed by this corridor, clearly, forcing his way through the corridor was not a good idea.

"It seems we cannot touch those flesh-and-blood ropes."

Enduring the headache and the slippery feeling that his clothes were about to stick to his body, Xia De was just about to discuss with Winnie how to solve the problem here when a brand-new voice said:

"Mr. Watson, let us solve this."

Xia De turned and looked back. At the opening of the room that had not yet healed behind him, three ring-wielders wearing clown masks and with rings of fate floating behind them were walking toward them.

The effects of flesh erosion were also affecting them, but the strange clown masks the three wore manifested even more powerful miraculous elements. The holy emblem of Mr. Ring was branded on the cheeks of those three clown masks, and apart from Mr. Mortis, the other two were high-level ring-wielders; it was clear that the upper echelons of the 【Clown Troupe】 had already arrived on the island.

Xia De's eyes swept over the human marks above their heads, and then he saw Mr. Mortis carrying a box he was very familiar with on his back:

"I need to confirm your identities—how did you enter such a deep position in the 【House of Mimics】?"

The clowns also understood Xia De's caution, so Mr. Mortis explained:

"This is my core ability as a 'Harlequin'. Specifically, in cooperation with the troupe's secret arts and my snake slough, I can pay a certain price to forcibly intervene in the story that is happening."

"We don't need to invade here from the outside; we arrived directly at your side."

Xia De understood this as Mr. Mortis's candidate talent and the 【Harlequin Troupe】's mysterious power coming into play. He seemed to be able to enter the core area of the matter directly through secret arts after learning the detailed situation of a matter:

"Thank you for coming to support. Now I need to reach the door at the end of the corridor."

Xia De pointed to the end of the flesh-and-blood corridor:

"That is the core of the 【House of Mimics】. The mimics have prepared a surprise for me there."

Mr. Mortis asked while putting down the box on his back:

"You don't intend to leave here?"

Xia De shook his head:

"I can't leave even if I want to, and I am also very curious about what the mimics have prepared. Why, can you help me leave?"

He actually wanted the clowns to help take the two unicorns that were about to be unable to hold on out, but Mr. Mortis shook his head regretfully:

"Sorry, as Harlequins, we can only forcibly break into the stage and cannot take others away. This box was given to you by your friends outside. We can only carry non-relics as stage props. And we cannot exist here for long, but helping you solve the difficulties on the way forward is no problem."

He handed the box containing the "Golden Lion Armor" to Xia De, and then the three clowns wearing clown masks drew their own weapons from behind. They were three identical wooden knives, looking like props used during opera performances.

But as the life rings behind the three flashed with spiritual light, the three wooden knives turned into meat-cutting knives that were generally consistent in style. One could even vaguely see blood stains on the knives.

The scene of men wearing clown masks holding meat-cutting knives was eerie but had a strange sense of absurdity.

The three then bypassed Xia De, the unicorns, and Winnie, and rushed toward that flesh-and-blood corridor together.

Their figures were as light as dancing, and when they brandished the deadly weapons in their hands, they were as elegant as performing on stage. Because of Vanessa, Xia De knew quite a bit about stage performances, so he could see that their steps and movements were standard stage movements.

Facing a target that wouldn't move, it actually didn't matter what movements were adopted. But the clowns used such a way to brandish the meat-cutting knives to cut off those flesh-and-blood ropes, but the corridor didn't shrink as it did just now.

Even Xia De couldn't see what kind of power they used. Then, it was still the ice maid Winnie who explained to Xia De:

"The 【Harlequin Troupe】 is a branch of the Fate Sect from the Mythological Era. It is the inheritance left by the clowns in the troupe dedicated to performing dramas for 【Mr. Ring】 during religious rituals in the Fate Sect."

Once they began their performance as clowns, they would form an effect similar to a 'stage' in the surrounding area, during which they could accomplish many things that seemed almost miraculous to ordinary ring-wielders.

"The Prophet Association, as the orthodoxy of the Fate Sect, inherits the power of peeping into fate and interpreting fate; although the Harlequin Troupe is not considered orthodox, it is indeed of the same origin as the Prophet Association. They inherit the ability to perform dramas and create stages."

The three seemed to be dancing, but also seemed to be using their limb movements to perform some kind of strange ritual.

Their speed became faster and faster, and the movements when brandishing the knives became more and more fierce. Xia De then signaled the unicorns, Winnie, and himself to follow.

When the three clowns had reached the middle of the flesh-and-blood corridor, the flesh-and-blood corridor ahead suddenly wriggled. Then, several huge lumps of meat rose from the ground, and third-stage mimics emitting red light all over their bodies appeared. On their mutated bodies grew full of eyeballs, their upper bodies were connected to more than a dozen arms of different creatures, their chests and backs each had a second and third face, their tails were connected to their hair...

In front of the door of the core room, the power these third-stage mimics could exert was far stronger than their normal state, but the three Harlequins who were dancing wildly with meat-cutting knives still greeted them directly.

Their knife skills, which looked ridiculous like dancing, were unusually fierce when really used for fighting. Amidst the flashing of knife light, the various parts on those mimics' bodies were quickly separated from their bodies.

In less than thirty seconds, the mimics turned into lumps of meat scattered on the floor. It was just that before the fireballs could fly over, the floor reabsorbed them. But it was probably realized that the mimics alone couldn't stop these three abnormal 【Harlequins】, so no more mimics continued to appear afterward.

So the clowns finally successfully dismantled all the flesh-and-blood ropes in the corridor. It was just that when they came to the end of the corridor and the three approached the red door at the end, they seemed to be hit by an invisible giant force and flew backward together, landing not far in front of Xia De, and rolling on the ground before standing up neatly.

"Mr. Watson, this is all the help we can provide."

Mr. Mortis said to Xia De:

"But you don't have to worry. When we came in, the other helpers you summoned had already surrounded the 【House of Mimics】. They should have broken in by now, but they haven't found this place yet."

Xia De also expressed his gratitude in time:

"You have already helped a lot. But how are you going to leave here next?"

Mr. Mortis shook his head:

"Please don't worry about us, Mr. Watson. You must be careful. Behind that door, besides mimics and flesh and blood, there are other things, and they are things you are very familiar with. As Harlequins, we can only help you to this point. Please allow us to exit the stage now. I wish you success in eliminating the 【House of Mimics】."

After speaking, he threw a curtain about two meters long to the side. Then the three jumped toward the curtain, passed through the curtain floating in the red space, and then the three and the curtain disappeared together.

Regardless of whether this was a candidate's talent or a unique secret art of the 【Clown Troupe】, it carried the same sense of mystery as the Prophecy Association, even in the eyes of ring-wielders.

However, he couldn't think about this now, because the unicorn horns of Aili and Little Liana had almost completely lost their luster at this moment, and even Xia De felt strong discomfort due to the powerful mental influence of this relic. But the ice maid Winnie looked fine.

The one in the worst state among the group was Little Liana, but fortunately, Mr. Mortis and the others brought that set of armor.

This armor had the characteristic of adapting to the wearer's body shape. As long as the body shape was not excessively large or small, it could fit the wearer very well.

The golden big cat that Little Mia "evolved incorrectly" into during the Battle of Moon Bay was only sturdier than Little Liana today, and the actual difference was not large. Therefore, after disassembling the box, the Golden Lion Armor was put on Little Liana.

However, it had a unicorn horn on its forehead, and originally it couldn't wear a helmet. But when Xia De tried to put the helmet on its head, the unicorn horn went straight through the helmet—I don't know if the unicorn was magical or the armor was magical.

In short, under the protection of the shining armor, Little Liana's state began to improve at a speed visible to the naked eye. Aili, protected by the Council's power, also had no questions about why this armor wasn't given to it. It rubbed against Little Liana gently, and then rubbed against Xia De as thanks.

"After we get out, I will prepare many apples for you."

Xia De's hand was still on Aili, but at this moment he turned to the crystal-clear maid who seemed to know many things and asked:

"For the core room next, you had better not enter. Wait for me here. Can you take care of them for me?"

The maid asked softly:

"Are you sure you don't need me to follow you in?"

Xia De shook his head:

"If you follow me in, what about Aili and Little Liana?"

"Okay, I will take good care of them."

She said so. After Xia De finished touching the two unicorns, Winnie's hand touched the backs of Aili and Little Liana.

Ice-blue light lit up. Because it was a bit cold, both holy white unicorns shivered. Although this power was far inferior to Moon Fire, it was no problem to protect them temporarily.

"We will wait here for your return and prepare to welcome subsequent reinforcements."

She said softly. Xia De nodded, confirmed that the snake fang was still at his waist, and walked toward the door at the end. ===== CHAPTER 3484 =====