Chapter 1473: Chapter 1473

Jenkins remained skeptical about the halfling diviner’s predictions. He didn't believe he would become a king; it was far more likely he would become a Prince Consort by marrying Dolores. So, while the halfling diviner certainly had some skill, his abilities were clearly not yet refined.

"Then how about divining my family's fortune," Jenkins suggested.

"Certainly, that's simple enough. I'm quite skilled at that. You wouldn't believe how many husbands' mistresses I've exposed for noble ladies by divining their family matters. Let's start with your ancestors. This is easy, let me just have a look..."

As he spoke, he once again gazed into the crystal ball resting on its soft cushion. For a moment, no one said a word as Jenkins waited for the man to spin his tale. But the next second, he heard a distinct cracking sound.

Then, completely unexpectedly, the crystal ball exploded from its center as if a steam bomb had been hidden inside. Shards whizzed through the air, forcing both Jenkins and the halfling diviner to duck under the table.

"Damn it, what was that!"

The halfling straightened up and surveyed the disastrous scene on the table and throughout his tent, his voice sharp with annoyance. He looked carefully at Jenkins, who had already sat back up and was picking fragments of the crystal ball out of his hair. The halfling then picked up one of his All-Seeing Cards with his right hand, held it before his right eye, and peered at Jenkins through it.

"It's fine. I refuse to believe I can't perform this divination. Let me see, you are... no, who are you?"

He practically shrieked. When he lowered the card from his eye, Jenkins noticed it was bleeding.

The halfling diviner screamed again, scrambling up from his chair. He staggered back two steps and stumbled, falling to the ground.

"Actually, I'm more curious about what you saw," Jenkins said, "but you should probably tend to your eye first. It's bleeding quite heavily."

Jenkins was a little worried the halfling might go blind, not wanting to be the cause of someone else's misfortune. But the halfling assured him there was no need for concern. That eye was already nearly blind from years of looking at strange things, and this incident would likely accelerate its transformation into a magic eye—an outcome the halfling was actually looking forward to.

After the halfling cleaned up the chaotic tent, he sat back down at the table, clasping his hands and twiddling his thumbs.

"Alright, sir, I know asking who you are is a very foolish question. So, what can I do for you? I imagine a person of your stature wouldn't come to a place just to play a little joke on me."

The halfling spoke shrewdly, seeming like someone who had seen his share of major events.

"Yes, there are a few things. First, I'd like to ask, is there any particular reason your circus has stopped in Black Town?"

Jenkins didn't bother asking what the halfling had seen; he trusted the diviner would eventually tell him.

"No reason, we were just passing through. We were originally planning to cross the Rorakris Mountains and enter the Lizardfolk Kingdom, but as you know, there's a war going on, and Tiefling bandits in the mountains... Well, perhaps you don't know. In any case, stopping here was a coincidence. We had no such plans before."

"Since you're a diviner, you should know that there are no pure coincidences in this world. Have you ever performed a divination about Black Town? Or did you know of this place before?" Jenkins asked again, then quickly added:

"Don't try to divine anything about this place, especially since you're in a bad state right now."

"I'd never heard of this town before. So... Damn it, that dream I had a few days ago really was unusual. Sir, just tell me directly. For what purpose have you manifested on this earth? I will help you in any way I can."

According to the original story, on the third day the circus was in town, their performance would feature a "lion that could speak human language." This in itself wasn't extraordinary; whether through ventriloquism or an extraordinary ability, such a feat was possible.

But the lion proved to be even more talkative than the beastmaster had imagined. The circus later discovered that having the lion specialize in chatting with people was more profitable than having it perform tricks, so the lion's job was changed to speaking with the townsfolk every day.

This planted the seeds of disaster for what was to come.

"You mean Old Ryan? Oh, that lion was already here when I joined the troupe. He was just a cub back then. Grew up to be no different from any other lion, just a bit smarter. Then the beastmaster got a batch of Animal Intelligence Enlightenment Potions from somewhere, which made Old Ryan even smarter and stronger. Still, I never knew he could talk. In fact, those potions only make animals more intelligent; they don't have the function of changing an animal's throat structure to allow it to speak human language."

The halfling explained, then led Jenkins toward the tent where the animals rested. When they got there, however, they learned that the old lion was already on stage, performing the traditional act of jumping through a flaming hoop. By the time the two of them entered the performance tent, they saw the crowd gazing enthusiastically at the lion, which stood on a high platform, holding forth on the local weather.

It was incredibly muscular. Although the halfling called it "Old Ryan" due to its age, the lion looked more like it was in its prime. Jenkins had no doubt that even three strong farmers armed with weapons would be no match for such a creature.

"It's really talking..."

The halfling muttered to himself, then boldly took out his "All-Seeing Card - Apocalypse" and held it to his right eye once more. After a long moment, he lowered it.

"Something's definitely wrong. Old Ryan's soul is gone. There's something very strange inside the lion's body now."

In the original story Jenkins had seen, the townsfolk who listened to the lion's words would fall into a terrifying nightmare at night. This not only affected the town's productivity and daily life, but more frighteningly, the things from the dream world were attempting to invade reality.

The one who solved all of this was the circus diviner. Inspired by the townsfolk, he discovered the crisis and ultimately led the rest of the circus in sending the dream creatures back to where they belonged. However, the diviner died at the end of the story, exhausted from the effort. He was buried by his circus companions and the people of Black Town on a sun-drenched, flower-filled, grassy slope by a lake in the forest. Thɪs chapter is updated by ɴovelfire.net