Mystery: When the Fool Meets the Masked Fool

Chapter 1: Traveling Through Time and Becoming the Masked Fool

PS: This is a crazy post, so please avoid it if you can't handle the dense memes. The previous chapter was very clear, so why do some people insist on clicking in and blaming me for having too many memes?
Kingdom of Loen, Tingen City, Iron Cross Street.

The streets were bustling with people, horse-drawn carriages plying the lanes in the middle of the road, and itinerant vendors shouting their wares on both sides of the road.

"Gentlemen" and "ladies" dressed in Victorian-era attire stopped at various stalls, while workers and homeless people in vests or even bare chests hurried by, having not yet secured a job for the day. If they couldn't find a temporary job before the sun rose completely, they would probably go hungry.

In the crowded crowd, a man in strange clothes stood out, but strangely, no one seemed to notice him. People passed by him as if he were air.

The man was wearing a white T-shirt and a black and white jacket with a silver trash can with arms showing off its muscles printed on it. He was wearing black wide-leg jeans and a sky blue baseball cap. He had a pair of headphones with colorful lights hanging around his neck. The headphones had a Q-version blue-haired girl with a halo on her head and wings behind her head painted on them. His body was decorated with some strange ornaments of unknown purpose.

The man's name was Cyrus Bruce.

He wandered aimlessly along, following the flow of people, taking in this new world. He was a time traveler, and this wasn't even his first. In his first life, he was a miserable, fragile college student on Earth, with an ordinary appearance and a mediocre life. Even his name was the unrecognizable "Chen Ming." In his own words, he might as well change his name to Chen Sheng, perhaps even gaining some luck that way.

He remembered the day he'd traveled through time, telling a fairy tale to the neighborhood children at his doorstep. The story went something like this: A tall man saw a cardboard box on the street, walked over, opened it, and found two adorable catgirls inside. The man reached out and stroked the catgirls' heads, feeling their large eyes, high noses, pointed chins, and cat ears. He nodded, confirming his suspicions, and then he pulled out a chainsword to tame the damned alien.

Looking at the crying child, Chen Ming showed a smile as warm as the rising sun. He felt that his image was so tall, just like the evening light of the sun.

Sadly, there wasn't even a moment to mourn the child, as the next person to arrive at the battlefield was the child's grandmother.

"Traitor, where are you going?"

The child's grandmother descended from the sky on a motorcycle and struck Chen Ming directly. It was said her surname was Guan, a descendant of Guan Yu. In her youth, she was a ghostly fire girl whose fame resonated throughout several streets, known as the Red Cannon Flower.

That was Chen Ming’s first time traveling through time.

…………

After regaining consciousness, Chen Ming looked around and found that the surroundings were mainly dark, but there were some stars shining in the distance, just like the night sky he saw in the countryside when he was a child.

Suddenly appearing in an unfamiliar place made Chen Ming feel a little flustered and nervous.

He looked down and found that he seemed to be emitting a faint light. At least he could see his body clearly. This was unreasonable. How could a person glow?

At this moment, a light curtain appeared before his eyes, with a line of words written in white on a blue background: "Welcome, Transmigrator."

Upon learning he'd become a time traveler, a phenomenon only found in novels, Chen Ming's excitement overcame his unease. He glanced around, a glittering constellation of stars surrounding him, making him seem like the center of the world. He suppressed his restlessness and softly confirmed, "Time traveler? Me? So you're the system?"

"Yes, that's right! Lucky host! You are the chosen one! And I will assist you." The text on the blue panel changed.

Chen Ming was overjoyed, his excitement and joy completely overshadowing his uneasiness about arriving in a strange place for the first time. He coughed lightly and, feigning composure, addressed the system before him, "Is that so? Then, let me introduce you, System."

The system responded immediately, appearing quite attentive: "This system is dedicated to helping you achieve success in your career in another world, have a multitude of wives and concubines, and reach the pinnacle of your life, capturing beastgirls, mechagirls, elves, and beautiful human girls one after another."

"That's great!" Chen Ming recalled some settings from the novel and asked, "By the way, system, are there any main quests? Oh, and there should be some novice gift packs or something like that, right?"

"Of course. Your main quest in the first stage is to overthrow a brutal dynasty. There's also a novice gift pack, which will grant you the blessings of four gods."

"Is the novice gift package a blessing from one god? Four gods? Isn't this a bit too much?" Chen Ming understood that he was using the Long Aotian style script. "Well, then which four gods are they?"

"The four gods are the god of wisdom and change, the god of strength and courage, the god of life and nature, and the god of art and beauty."

Chen Ming frowned, realizing that things weren't simple. "By the way, System, you haven't told me your name yet. Um... you're not called Tzeentch System or something, are you?" As he spoke, Chen Ming slowly backed away. Although he knew it was probably useless.

A flash of orange light flashed by, and the system panel displayed the answer: "There is still a slight discrepancy, host. This system is called the Saint Qi System."

Surprise~
"Ah... Shengqi system, Shengqi... Shengqi is great... Shengqi... Who said this system is bad... This system is simply amazing..."

Chen Ming suddenly made a sharp explosion sound, like a fart spirit whose toes had been stepped on. Then he turned around and ran, shouting for help in fear as he ran:

"Emperor! Save me!"

After running two steps, he suddenly stopped and the corners of his mouth rose sharply.

“Ahaha~”

It wasn't his laughter; it came from all directions. With the sudden burst of laughter, the surroundings brightened. A shimmering orange light dispelled the darkness, and resounding laughter shattered the silence. "This is so much fun!" Light and laughter intertwined, the stars shimmered, the stars laughed. Auroras of various colors streamed across the distance, like dancers, smiling faces, and clowns.

Chen Ming couldn't help but laugh. Not only him, but his clothes, his hair, every part of his body was laughing. He felt extremely happy.

"Traveler, Aha wishes to bless you." Masks, large and small, appeared around Chen Ming. Some were laughing, some were crying, some were cunning, and some were kind. Common circus props appeared next to the masks: salutes, ribbons, balls, hula hoops...

Chen Ming realized he had been standing on a giant red smiley-faced mask, and now he was stepping on its forehead. A mask that fit his face detached from the others and floated towards him.

The mask that floated over looked like a smaller version of the one Chen Ming was currently wearing. It was primarily red, lacking any elaborate patterns, yet vibrantly colored. The smile was wild, yet the brushstrokes were restrained.

The moment the mask floated before him, his mind suddenly filled with some knowledge that hadn't existed before. It told him that the strange creature before him was a special NPC from a game he had played before:

[Happiness] Star God Aha, a god of joy who pursues happiness.

Aha? Chen Ming was a little confused. He was not sure whether it was Aha or Tzeentch in disguise.

"Mom, I can't tell the difference. I really can't tell the difference!" Chen Ming was making fun of himself in his heart, trying to calm himself down by diverting his attention.

"Very good, food and accommodation are provided." A mask with a sad face continued the joke.

A beam of light shone down from somewhere, illuminating Chen Ming. He felt his entire body relax, a joyous feeling filling his heart. He felt genuinely happy.

He suddenly realized that there was no point in dwelling on the identity of the god before him. Since this god could change his moods and insert information into his mind, it was easy for him to distort his perception. Therefore, lies and deception were meaningless; he could not identify them, let alone detect them. Ordinary people should have ordinary attitudes. The god before him called himself Aha, so He was Aha.

And this god should indeed be Aha. After all, if it was really Tzeentch, he would have been corrupted long ago.

"Look what I found, a little cutie from outside, hmm... these... oh my god... big iron lumps and big glass blocks will like them... and this game called "Honkai Impact 3rd: Celestial Railroad"... Aha is indeed a game character, hehe, Aha guessed right... Woo~ Aha didn't even enter the card pool, Aha was despised, Aha is so pitiful... Even Pleasant Destiny is not shown in the game~ That's too much~"

The masks surrounded Chen Ming, chattering and arguing with each other, and various props flew around like drowning fish.

In a corner that he didn't notice, several pairs of gloves were trying hard to stuff a large translucent blue bird into a firework tube.

With a crack, the blue bird exploded, much to the dismay of the gloves. They began blaming each other and fighting. But for some reason, they suddenly attacked a music box. Perhaps it was the one who had come up with the plan.

"No, no, no, this is also part of the great plan!" The music box tried to defend itself. Finally, a passing firework tube could not bear it anymore and blasted the gloves apart with a cannon.

Just like that, amidst the backdrop of fireworks, Chen Ming officially became a glorious Masked Fool, and at Aha's suggestion, he changed his name to Cyrus Bruce.

Unlike other Masked Fools, Serris possessed a mask bestowed by Aha from the very beginning, which meant he didn't need to steal the mask of the Mourning Musician like other Masked Fools. Thus, under Aha's personal appointment, Serris became His [Messenger].

In the world of Star Railroad, those who can make eye contact with a Star God and receive His blessing are called Order Envoys. While becoming an Order Envoy doesn't necessarily mean they are powerful, possessing a Star God's blessing doesn't necessarily mean they are any worse off.

…………

On the second day after becoming the Masked Fool, Serris was studying his mask when he suddenly felt his vision darken and the colors around him dim. He looked up and saw a huge black shadow drifting past in the distance, its shadow obscuring the starry sky.

His figure is wrapped in layers of black fog. He is the pitch-black sun and the sleeping formless one.

He floated over Serris's head with his eyes wide open.

Oo: "..."

Serris suddenly felt so bored and uninterested, as if everything was meaningless.

His skin became covered with scars and holes like rotten dead wood; his endocrine system began to become disordered, unable to distinguish between happiness and pain, and became numb to everything; he lost his memory and his senses.

Beside him, a headless man suddenly appeared and slapped Serris on the head, causing him to stagger.

His headless neck moved slowly, and he said seriously, "Marshal Hei is right."

Hearing Aha's voice, Serris' body miraculously recovered from the state of "self-destruction". He fumbled around in fear, and it took a long time for him to finally relax.

Serris turned his head to look at the headless man and asked, "How do you speak without a head?"

He twisted his neck: "I didn't say anything."

He pointed at Serris's ears again and said, "It's your ears that are speaking."

Serris subconsciously touched his ear and found that a mouth had grown on it.

This mouth suddenly uttered: "Hehehe, this is really fun."

"Fuck me!"

…………

Perhaps because of his identity as an outsider, he was visited by many star gods in the following period of time.

The Star God of Memory, Fuli, and the Star God of Wisdom, Boshizun, descended simultaneously. A vast machine covered the entire sky. His presence transformed the unknown into the known, assimilating the world into a sea of ​​data. He was a Star God elevated from machinery. To him, everything was a question, and everything had its answer. Surrounding him was a blue star field, fragmented like a shattered mirror, its lenses forming a vast emperor. He was the Emperor of Memory, interwoven with countless memories, transcending time and space. He was a school of fish swimming upstream, and also the key to a treasure trove. He sat in meditation at the center of a pure land, observing all things tirelessly repeating their past mistakes.

After browsing Serris's memories, for some unknown reason, they bestowed a blessing upon him. For a moment, he felt as if everything before him transformed into countless streams of information, everything becoming its essence, presenting itself in his eyes, mind, and memory. But upon regaining consciousness, he remembered nothing.

Next passed by was the Star God of Abundance, Medicine Master. With his thousand hands and eyes, he gazed upon every living being in this universe with infinite compassion. He never refused a prayer, and could not bear to see decay or illness. He was the nurturer of all beings, the god of paradise, whose purpose was to ensure the continuous flourishing of life and to cure the stubborn disease of death.

He didn't ask any questions, nor did he directly flip through Serris's memories like the three before him. He simply looked at Serris lovingly with countless eyes, and then gently waved one of his arms, and green rain fell from the sky, landing on him. He saw flowers blooming freely and heard birds singing.

[Harmony] The Star God, Hippe, is the only Star God besides Aha to have communicated with Serris. He is a god of a thousand faces, a collective Star God from multiple harmonious celestial bodies. His body is composed of countless pieces, and his threefold facets are filled with compassion. His voice is loud, gentle, rich, clear, steady, graceful, deep, and high-pitched, like billions upon billions of people singing in unison, a harmonious melody.

He had asked Serris to join his "family," and when politely rejected, he didn't get angry. Instead, his expression was gentle and half-smiley, a bit strange. Combined with the three faces he revealed, Serris felt a little terrified.

[Hunting] Star God Lan is the God of the Sky Bow. He looks like a Centaur but his hind hooves are wheels. He wears light armor and wanders endlessly between many worlds, using arrows of light to spread his will.

Unlike the other star gods who had their own clear purposes, Lan appeared in the distance at the horizon shortly after the pharmacist left, took a look, and then left in a hurry. It was difficult to tell whether he came for Serris or for the pharmacist.

I can only say that sasaeng fans are truly terrifying. Lan is indeed Yaoshi's number one fan, spamming him with rockets daily. And Yaoshi lived up to Lan's expectations. Knowing Lan's fondness for the people of abundance, he also casually enchanted a few planets along the way. He excitedly pulled the flag for Lan, his hands never stopping, shooting everywhere.

Both directions went to belong to yes.

The one with the worst attitude toward Serris is the Star God of Preservation, Klipper. Like IX, he makes no effort to restrain his aura for Serris's sake. His body, composed of amber stone, is immense, and his mighty hammer can cover a galaxy. He is the architect of the Celestial Comet Wall, the Subspace Crystal Wall, and the Great Attractor Foundation. His worshippers call him the "Amber King."

His arrival caused space to solidify, everything becoming as thick and heavy as a city wall, pressing down on Serris, who was unable to move. However, Serris could understand this. After all, to Krippo, who had been building a wall at the edge of the universe, Serris, coming from "outside the wall," was undoubtedly an "invader."

Perhaps out of consideration for the shameless Aha, or perhaps for other considerations, Krippo did not do anything to Serris after all. He just left a cornerstone and left calmly.

According to the people of Interstellar Peace Corporation, the cornerstone is part of the Amber King's "holy body". When asked about it, Aha told him that it was actually the Amber King's kidney stone.

Serris suddenly realized that this was the case. Then the "Ten Hearts and Ten Men" who could borrow the power of the cornerstone could also be called "Kidney Fighters". But in fact, he preferred to call them the "Stone Belt Youth Group".

After coming into contact with the Star Gods, Ceres inexplicably received their blessings. He also received many goodies from them, such as the rice ears that fell from the pharmacist's head. But then again, is that hair or dandruff?

The Star Gods weren't completely unreasonable; after getting the answers they wanted from Serris or completing the arrangements they wanted to leave behind, they didn't mind throwing him a few things to get rid of him. This caused his value to rise dramatically, and he once became the richest man in the universe.

Afterwards, when Serris examined himself, he was surprised to discover that he had nine Blessings within him. After questioning Aha, he learned that the two extra Blessings came from the aura that IX had accidentally picked up while passing by, and the other from the [Mysterious] Star God, Myth.

Perhaps due to his curiosity about the new world, Serris felt as if he had awakened a certain collecting habit. Over the next year, he adopted many identities and altered himself to mingle with various organizations, becoming a renowned collector and performer among the Masked Fool.

Whether it was a rare item, a specialty from a particular planet, or some gadget unique to a particular organization, he would always collect some to expand his collection. To this end, he even went to the Interstellar Peace Company to customize several storage devices equipped with space folding.

He also invented several organizations. Sometimes, he was a famous guest of the Star Sky Express, tracing the footsteps of the Hito Star God Hakiveli in the universe. Sometimes, he was a Spring Eyebrow Knight, traveling in the universe, preaching the unparalleled eyebrows of the Spring Eyebrow Star God Idriha.

To this end, he even fought and debated with dozens of Pure Beauty Knights. In the end, he successfully persuaded a few less intelligent knights to acknowledge the Order of the Spring Eyebrows, acknowledging that beautiful eyebrows were also part of Pure Beauty, and that protecting Spring Eyebrows in the universe was a commendable act of chivalry.

While most knights acknowledged the legitimacy of the Spring Brow Order, they refused to acknowledge Idriha's unrivaled eyebrows. They believed that even eyebrows belonged to the pure and beautiful Star Goddess. However, a small number of knights believed Idriha to be an incarnation of the pure and beautiful Star Goddess Idrila, and thus, while retaining their original Pure and Beautiful Knight status, they also joined the Spring Brow Order.

…………

Time passed quickly, and just when Serris thought he would stay in the world of Broken Iron and live out the rest of his life, he traveled through time again, to a world that looked like his hometown in the Middle Ages of steam machinery.

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(End of this chapter)