I'm really not a dragon.

Late at night,

The perfumery workshop of Audel Perfume Shop was still brightly lit.

Vera sniffed, holding the heavy parchment book, and squatted in front of the stove. As the pungent smoke from the alchemy equipment rose, the still extracted the fragrance of flowers and herbs into the oils, filling the perfume bottle drop by drop.

Vera was so engrossed in watching that she didn't even realize the perfume bottle was almost full!

"The concept of a fairyland is not something writers made up; it originates from the Fairy Wilderness, a world completely different from the material plane!"

"The little fairies of the mortal world, the Clefairy, the Piccolo, the Tooth Fairy, and those evil and ugly elves, the Red Hat, the Witch, and the like all originated from the Fairy Wilderness."

"Prismere Wonderland, a newly created wonderland, is where a circus from the Fairy Wilderness embarks on its tour to the mortal world every eight years!"

"What the hell!" Vera slammed the book shut in frustration. She wanted to read something other than a fairy tale!

She needed information about Tasha, she needed to know who the inventor of Tasha's maniacal laughter technique really was!

The investigation into the Fairy Wilderness yielded only useless information; it seems I need to change direction. Next time, I should check the market for any records of legendary mages.

The view inadvertently glanced at the alchemy equipment.

Vera hurriedly grabbed a bucket of water and poured it onto the fire. With a sizzling sound, scalding smoke rose into the air.

"Oops, it's overcooked! Ugh, Ms. Odelle's going to yell at me again!"

-

A giant dragonfly, comparable to a flying dragon, flew overhead, its fluttering wings woven with gorgeous ribbons.

All around were the cheerful sounds of brass instruments, frogs playing a harpsichord, dandelions dancing to the music, and a strange man in black robes riding a flying wooden horse.

Circus tents stood in the camp not far away, each tent adorned with tassels that glittered with silver ornaments and candies.

A chorus of chatter, like sparrows, rose around Suen as the young children all headed toward the circus.

Wait, the eye level is a bit off.

Suen clenched his fists and then relaxed them; his arms and hands were small.

Interesting. Generally speaking, memories are viewed from a third-person perspective, but he seems to have become Artorias himself!

Unable to enter Mage's Wrath state, and unable to unleash fire, frost, or lightning, his power seemed to be suppressed!

However, there shouldn't be any danger in the circus, right? Artorias is so big that he shouldn't be in any fatal danger.

[Special Area Discovered: Wuguang Carnival]

[Database error... Carnival of Joy, owner is Yaling Isolde, no similar existence detected... Checking for possible timeline jumps...]

[System database is being updated; information on the Wuguang Carnival is at 1% progress.]

A small progress bar appeared before my eyes.

What's wrong with this system now?!

At the entrance to the campsite stands a silver fairy statue, with butterflies constantly swirling and fluttering around it. The houses beneath the statue are painted with wallpaper resembling the night sky, and colorful comets streak across the night sky, endlessly orbiting.

An old goblin with a mouthful of yellow teeth lay on the ticket booth, glancing sideways at the excited children, wearing a monocle that was almost as long as a telescope.

"Welcome to the Witchlight Carnival! Please show your tickets!"

Tickets?

Su En searched his body for a while, but it seemed he didn't have that thing.

He couldn't help but wonder to himself, "Without a ticket, how did Artorias get into the carnival? Or, to put it another way, maybe he never even went in."

"Artorias, don't you have a ticket?"

Just then, a childish voice came from the side. Su En turned his head and saw a little girl looking at him timidly.

Suen nodded naturally; he roughly knew how Artorias got in.

"I'll share half of my ticket with you; we'll show it to that goblin with the poor eyesight."

With a ripping sound

The little girl tore off half of the ticket and stuffed it into Su En's hand.

"Thanks!"

"You're welcome, Artorias! We'll be friends for life!"

The two had their hands hidden in their sleeves, with only half of their tickets showing.

Old Goblin Kobe glanced at it, and after confirming that everything was alright, he opened the wooden door.

A little boy and a little girl, hand in hand, walked into the Wuguang Carnival.

In the venue filled with the aroma of candy, two slender, tall, and handsome spirits had been waiting for a long time.

"I am Mr. Wu."

"I am Mr. Hikaru."

They have eyes like raven feathers and skin as white as snow.

The former was dressed in formal attire and held a wand. The latter wore a flamboyant peacock feather pinned to her chest and her face was painted with exaggerated and ornate makeup, making it almost impossible to discern any elven characteristics.

[Shadow Spirit, servant of the Queen of the Fallen Shadow Realm]

Welcome to the Witchlight Carnival! Have a wonderful day!

The children's attention had long been drawn to something else.

"Look there!" The little girl pointed to the carousel not far away, where phantom unicorns spun to the music, their manes shimmering in the light.

Centaur Diana gripped the control stick, a gentle smile on her face. "Takeoff! Get ready, everyone!"

When Su En stepped off the carousel, her two slender legs were trembling.

He looked back at the carousel with lingering fear and vowed never to ride anything like it again.

"Wow, that spins so fast!" the little girl exclaimed, still wanting more. "Let's go take a look over there!"

and many more,

Suen was forced to follow the little girl's retreating figure.

Not far away, there stands a bubble teapot that is nearly 8 meters tall. The teapot is decorated with a flying dragon blowing bubbles. Children walk up the ladder, climb onto the lid of the teapot, and jump into the tea. Soon, they are covered with sticky bubbles and emerge from the spout, glancing at the sky.

A group of goblins sat around a teapot, drinking their tea as if nothing was amiss.

Suen floated in the air, surveying the joyous and beautiful carnival grounds below. He was filled with emotion and puzzled as Artorias lost something here.

In a place of joy and happiness, what could he possibly lose?

Suddenly, someone bumped into the bubbles on Su En's body.

Turning his head, he saw the little girl excitedly exclaiming, "This is so much fun, Artorias!"

Her voice came through a murky barrier, as if through a membrane.

"Yes!" Su En smiled, but the smile gradually froze as he sensed something was wrong beyond his normal perception.

He couldn't remember what the little girl looked like.

Strange, the girl was right beside him, so why couldn't he remember her? Or was it that Artorias's memory of the girl's appearance was vague?

Thinking of this, Su En secretly glanced at the little girl—now not only could he not remember her appearance, but the features on the little girl's face were also gradually disappearing.

Even her laughter became a chaotic, hoarse echo.

"Hey. What's your name?"

Suen roughly knew what Artorias had lost, and he asked anxiously.

"What did you say?" The little girl looked completely bewildered.

The two of them are too far apart!

Suen started running inside the bubble ball, and the bubble rolled towards the girl little by little. The girl seemed to understand and ran towards Suen.

Just then, a flying wooden horse monster, shrieking, flew past the two children. A gaunt, wrinkled, short woman rode on the horse, her face painted with pale foundation and dark blush on her cheeks. Her exposed skin resembled dead wood, infested with woodlice and fungi.

[Warning: Formidable Enemy - Scarabatha Nightshade]

Challenge Level: 18

[One of the witches symbolizing the past, a powerful witch known as "Grandma Nightshade." Unfortunately, her mother's adopted daughter, Igvelfur, took away too much of her power. She harbors deep hatred for Igvelfur and plots revenge.]

[Battle Victory Forecast: Due to the unique environment, there is currently no substantial physical improvement.]

The magic bubble around Suen burst.

The boy and girl fell from the sky, their panicked screams carried on the wind.

"ah!!"

Suen fell headfirst into a furry lump. Dragging his aching body, he grabbed his feathers and got up. There he saw a swan, bigger than an elephant, turning its neck and gazing at him with affection.

"Ah, new guest, please answer my question: What is joy?"

"..." Su En looked at the river at his feet, still feeling lingering fear. He was currently in the body of a child.

"I'll tell you if you take me ashore!"

The swans, pulling the pleasure boat, moved closer to the shore.

"Alright, please answer my question!" Swan looked at Suen expectantly.

"Joy is a weapon against nihilism!"

Suen waved her hand: "Thanks, big white goose!"

The swans on the riverbank stared blankly, "Then what is nothingness?"

The person who could answer this question has disappeared into the crowd.

Suen walked through the crowd, deep in thought.

That girl is probably what Artorias lost. If he could know her name, her address, or any other information about her, perhaps Artorias could remember the little girl again.

After turning past a tent,

A spacious stage plaza came into view.

The little girl, dressed in a drab gray costume, lay in a crystal coffin, surrounded by seven tall beauties in princess dresses.

Quickly, the little fairy with white powder on her face, as thick as a freshly painted wall, was playing her fairy instrument with a sorrowful expression.

This is Comedy Square.

Suen glanced at the GG card.

Comedy: The Tale of Snow White and the Seven Princesses!

"..."

Suen waved from below the stage. "Hey, I'm Artorias! What's your name?"

Seven beautiful princesses were weeping and wailing as they performed their final act—sending the coffin to the cemetery—when they unexpectedly encountered the prince.

The Snow White dwarf, who should have been lying in the crystal coffin, slowly rose upon hearing the sound and looked down at the audience in confusion.

"Artorias?"

"It's me! What's your name?" Su En jumped up and waved her hands.

"Ah! You're alright, Artorias! That's wonderful!"

The little girl found her costume too cumbersome, so she tore open the hem of her skirt, grabbed the edge of the crystal coffin, and nimbly jumped off the stage like a rabbit.

The audience watching the comedy were bewildered, as the seven princesses prepared to stop their dwarfs.

The belated prince actor made his appearance, riding a giant toad, while the actor himself was a small and adorable Boling Frog.

He stood in front of the seven princesses, looking wisely at the little boy and girl.

"Ribbit, it seems Snow White's destined prince has arrived! No need for a fake prince anymore, ribbit!"

Unexpected events always happen before good things arrive.

Half of the torn ticket fell out of the little girl's pocket, lying brightly on the ground, radiating a magical glow.

The sound of inhaling continued.

From the sudden change in the expressions of the people around him, Su En vaguely sensed that something was wrong.

On the flag in Comedy Square, a blue-billed parrot screeches: "Smugglers, smugglers, smugglers!"

Upon witnessing this scene, the actors on stage hid behind the curtain, while the audience below fled the comedy square as if escaping a disaster. The cheerful music in the air seemed to be mixed with discordant, gloomy tunes.

"What happened to them? What happened to them?!" The little girl wondered why they were the only ones left in the square.

"Never mind all that, what's your name!"

"Artorias, oh, behind you!" The little girl covered where her mouth should have been.

Although there are no facial features, the girl's expression should be one of terror!

A pungent stench wafted in with the fishy wind, and Su En turned around to see a dark shadow behind him.

Scarbasa Nightshade, her face as aged as a withered tree, was right in front of me.

"No tickets, yet you want to enjoy the carnival! Heh heh, poor little bugs! How should I punish you!"

A pair of large, calloused hands covered in tumors cradled Suen's head, their deformed, yellowish nails gently scraping Suen's cheeks. Scarabasa Nightshade examined the boy in her arms as if he were a work of art.

"Let him go! Punish me instead!"

The little girl mustered her courage, grabbed the witch's wrist and pulled hard, but the difference between a mortal and a supernatural being was like heaven and earth. The witch simply raised her elbow, and the little girl was pushed to the ground, sobbing incessantly while clutching her injured arm.

As Suen felt the guilt, unease, and regret welling up within his body, he vaguely understood how Artorias had ultimately left the Witchlight Carnival.

"I didn't have a ticket, it's me, it has nothing to do with her!" Su En pulled half a ticket out of her pocket and threw it on the ground.

The old hag's expression changed drastically. Her hands, like a kangaroo's, hung across her chest and circled Su En again and again. "No, something's not right, this scene seems familiar! Who are you! Why are you digging into past memories!"

It's a ghost!

This memory actually has self-awareness!

wrong,

Could this be the symbol of the power of the three witches representing the past, present, and future?

Realizing something was wrong, Suen turned to look at the girl and immediately shouted, "Tell me your name! Tell me!"

The little girl paused, then stopped sobbing: "My name is Sa..."

"Enough! These are my toys!" Grandma Nightshade roared angrily.

The memory abruptly ended.

Everything before Suen's eyes suddenly lost its color; color, shape, sound, and taste melted into a boiling chaos.

Then, he woke up.

Its body instinctively activated a defensive stance, revealing patches of silvery-yellow scales, and its hands transformed into dragon claws.

"hiss!"

Artorias got up from the ground, his clothes soaked with sweat and smelling terrible. "I think I had a dream, in which..."

Artorias fell silent.

Sometimes having a good memory isn't necessarily a good thing.

"Can it be kept secret?"

Suen nodded. "Okay!"

Artorias made a choice he would later regret, leaving the little girl who should have been the ticket owner forever at the Carnival of Witchlight, while he himself lived on with guilt and lost memories.

Artorias clutched his head, looking like a defeated stray dog, his face bearing an expression that was both crying and laughing, and said...

"It's my fault for not having a ticket. I should have stayed at the carnival; I'm the one who ruined her life. I even forgot her name. Suen, I'm issuing the second mission!"