Mystery: When the Fool Meets the Masked Fool

Chapter 2: Trash Can Culture from Bengtie, a Must-Try

Transmigrating once again, Serris felt quite bewildered, not quite understanding why he had ended up here. In his memory, to commemorate his first anniversary in the Collapse Iron World, he was using a strange psychological technique to stealthily remove gems from a wall built by the Amber King. Then, for some unknown reason, his vision went dark, and he suddenly found himself on this bustling street.

What place is this? (Patrick Star voice)

He had a premonition that he might have arrived in a region quite far from the star region protected by the Amber King. He looked inward, realizing he had taken a monumental step forward on his path to development. In the previous year, he had been an unknown traveler, traveling to many places, even occasionally tripping outside the Wall, exploring areas untouched by even the Star God of Development. Yet, back then, he had never ventured as far as he had now on his path to development.

Unlike in games, in reality, destiny walkers aren't restricted to just one path. People are complex, often with diverse and ever-changing perspectives on the world.

They can use their knowledge to destroy, just like the "Extermination Scholar," and they can use their memories to hunt, just like the "Silent Hunter." Therefore, calling a Fatewalker "someone's Fatewalker" doesn't depend on which Fatewalker they've embarked on, but rather on which Fatewalker they've progressed further on, or what kind of Fatewalker they're willing to call themselves.

This also leads to the fact that there is often no Joy Walker in the "Tavern".

At that moment, smelling the foul odor of garbage and horse manure, Ceris couldn't help but frown. He tapped his collar lightly, and instantly, an invisible bubble formed around his head, enveloping it, and the air he inhaled became instantly clearer. It can only be said that while the products sold by the Interstellar Peace Company are expensive, the research and development of their subsidiary, the Institute of Knowledge, is truly quite useful.

Then, Serris pulled a palm-sized, silver, clamshell trash can from his pocket. Beyond the trash can itself, it also had muscular limbs and arms folded across its chest, giving it a powerful presence.

The silver barrel, adorned with vertical grooves that curve downward, accentuates its slender form, captivating the viewer's gaze like a dancing actor. The gray-black spots and rust that adorn its graceful form reveal its elegant demeanor. This embodies the composure and confidence of an older generation of artists, a classical beauty that modern people struggle to grasp.

Suddenly, a white cloud appeared in front of me, with some incomprehensible narration written on it.

Ignoring the sudden voiceover, three days ago, this thing with [Ciallo~(∠ω<)⌒★] suddenly appeared. Since then, it's like it's become attached to me, popping up every now and then to make its presence felt.

Steamed goose heart in Pomelo Kitchen.

It initially called itself Xiao Aha, and Ceres called it Erha.

A gentle breeze rustles over it, stirring up a wisp of dust, resembling a startled wild goose or a soaring dragon. One can't help but sigh, "This barrel is only found in heaven, rarely seen on earth."

[If you put it on the roadside, it will be a gorgeous treasure chest. This is the meaning of pioneering.]

Unfortunately, this is not the kind of wanton treasure chest that anyone can open. It is a portable space folding suitcase developed by the Church of Erudition, which he named "Prison Bucket Boy".

Of course, the appearance was customized by Serris. Few people seemed to understand such an advanced art form, which often made Serris feel distressed.

[To put it bluntly, it's just the rebellious phase where you have to do something non-mainstream to look awesome.]

Serris shrugged and said it didn't matter. After all, he still had a like-minded "comrade". Yes, it was the famous Galaxy Bat Man.

He had a good relationship with the Galaxy Batman on the Star Express, and everyone called them General Big Bucket and Corporal Little Bucket.

With a gentle tap on the lid, the Jailboy immediately uncrossed his arms and opened the lid with his own hand. Cerus reached out, his hand visually distorted as it neared the hole, appearing smaller and smaller until it vanished completely into the barrel. It was like an abstract vision seen through a hip-hop mirror. He wandered aimlessly with the crowd as he pulled a pair of dark blue sunglasses from the Jailboy's body and put them on. The lenses were not smooth, like a mosaic of tiny mirrors, each reflecting a different image, as if time were being fragmented.

The world before my eyes was divided into dozens of pieces. Whether it was people or objects, they all appeared broken, messy, but interconnected under this strange filter.

The memories of people and things, the world reflects everything it has recorded, messy yet orderly.

This is the perspective of [Memory].

Looking at the gentleman next to him wearing a half-high silk hat, some common sense memories were transmitted into Serris's brain through this pair of sunglasses produced by Liuguang Yiting.

This is Tingen City in Ahowa County, northern Loen Kingdom. A year typically consists of 365 days, divided into twelve months, each lasting approximately 30 days. Today is June 27th. The currency of this country is pennies, soles, and gold bangs. The people of Loen primarily worship the Goddess of Night, the Lord of Storms, and the God of Steam and Machinery. The moon in this world is red. Emperor Roselle is history's greatest statesman, military strategist, writer, inventor, and adventurer...

Feeling the common sense entering his mind, Serris felt as if he had seen these settings somewhere before, and the names of the gods seemed particularly familiar. It was not until the name of Emperor Rossell appeared in his mind that Serris's forward steps suddenly stopped.

He figured out the source of the familiarity in these settings, which came from a novel he had read: "Lord of Mysteries".

Hmm? Why are there water on my hands? Did it rain?

No, not water, but sweat.

I see. I'm already sweating profusely.

Ah, this suffocating feeling like being entangled by a python.

He even suspected that it was Aha who was messing with him.

[Yeah! That's exactly what I want to see! The Outer God knocked Serris to the ground, he must be trying to capture him to make a Star Force!]

Unlike other novels, where, generally speaking, if one knows the plot before traveling into a novel, they can gain many advantages through foresight. However, this novel is slightly different, or rather, some of its settings are quite unfriendly to travelers, because knowledge is poisonous here.

It's like a trash can with rotten eggs in it. Even the self-proclaimed "Garbled Bat Man" would know not to rummage through it.

PS: There are a lot of memes in the early stage, and the main plot starts to connect with the original story from Chapter 10. If you don’t like the crazy early stage, you can skip to Chapter 10 and onwards.

　A few words about Erha: I know Erha can be a thorn in some people's side, feeling like something's been added to their heads that can read their minds and makes them feel like they're being watched, which is quite unpleasant. Let me explain: Erha isn't a system, nor is it a pseudonym for Aha or Tzeentch, or anything like that. There's no conspiracy theory involved. It's based on the protagonist, Ceirus,'s desire for someone to play memes with and discuss the plot with. He unconsciously created a memetic lifeform by combining the power of his three destinies of joy, memory, and reproduction with his own memories. You could think of it as Ceirus creating a second personality and then materializing it. Whether in memory or essence, Erha is based on Ceirus himself and is part of him. Wouldn't it be easier to view them as schizophrenic?

　　
　
(End of this chapter)