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Nathan's question was very simple, and it contained elements that are common in everyday life.

This sparked a heated debate among the audience.

"Is that even a question?" Uncle Bud, the tailor, gestured with his hands as if cutting cloth with his famous scissors. "Cut off a strip of cloth... or rather, all four corners!"

"fart!"

Old John tapped his pipe, puffed out his beard, and glared:

"If a corner of the iron plate is broken off, two more edges will appear, making it five corners in total!"

But the women in the front row weren't about to back down. "Three! Haven't you ever cut bread before? One slice of bread can make a sandwich!"

The atmosphere instantly became very academic.

Everyone firmly believed in their own life experience, and they argued fiercely, making it resemble a diplomatic scene.

In the center of the stage.

"I'm so hungry again, give me another potato!"

Little Nine hooked its tentacles and, as it wished, was fed again.

Those big, beady eyes, no longer the tiny ones, gazed curiously at the audience.

What are these two-legged creatures arguing about?

It ate the potato and slowly raised its three tentacles.

"Look! Three!" the ladies cheered, blowing kisses at Xiao Jiu. "Even the Kraken is supporting us!"

But immediately, five more were raised from the other side.

"Ha! I told you it's five corners!" Old John jumped up excitedly.

It's actually quite fun, huh?

Xiao Jiu got excited and simply combined the tentacles on the left and right sides, making a bright "four".

Everyone was dumbfounded. How come they couldn't even count properly?

"Everyone, please calm down."

Nathan yanked a wooden board out from behind the curtain. "Everyone here is correct. Of course, my partner has already told you the correct answer!"

He quickly demonstrated it on the board.

"...Therefore, different cutting methods yield different results!"

"Wow..."

This elementary school problem on Earth would be considered a philosophical exercise by the townspeople in the Middle Ages.

Different positions offer different perspectives, and naturally, different choices will be made.

While the children were excitedly praising Xiao Jiu's intelligence, some others fell into deeper thought.

Father Myriel lowered his head, staring intently at his hands, which were clasped tightly together on his knees.

Do different stances lead to different choices?

He really is...

He had never seen the world from a perspective other than that of a "priest"... nor had he ever considered that there might be other ways of "cutting".

"A spark of inspiration is wonderful, but a real flame can ignite passion!"

After the appetizer was finished, Nathan tapped the short stick in his hand, his tone suddenly becoming more animated:

"The circus stage is never complete without excitement and madness!"

Ivan quickly operated the winch.

The dull thud of the pulley system echoed from above the stage, and three oiled metal rings of progressively smaller diameter descended from the sky.

The largest one is three meters long, and the smallest one is only about 1.5 meters long. They are suspended three meters above the ground, like a portal to a mysterious place.

A flash of fire.

Amid the gasps of the audience, Ren Yi miraculously took a burning piece of firewood from the brazier with his bare hands and threw it toward the circle.

"call--!"

Flames shot into the air, and the metal ring instantly became a ring of fire.

The intense heat made one's cheeks burn even from a distance. Inside the tent, the light was pierced by the flickering firelight, and the dark red snake scales appeared to be swimming as they were heated by the rising steam.

"Now, please enjoy—the circle of fire!"

Nathan, standing beneath the ring of fire, opens his arms to the audience, his tone seductive:

"Even the smallest mistake... will result in a painful punishment!"

"My partner is about to traverse this hellfire without any protection!"

"!"

The audience gasped again, their incredulous or worried gazes all turning to Xiao Jiu.

This creature is so big, yet it doesn't seem very agile, and it's an aquatic animal...

Even if all the tentacles were retracted, they would only be slightly smaller than the smallest fire ring. If they touched the fire ring, they would probably turn into grilled squid on the spot!

Several women had even covered their mouths with handkerchiefs, their eyes glistening with tears.

"dudu...dudududu...dangdangdang..."

Neither of them noticed that tense background music had quietly started playing at some point!

The rapid pace of the scene, like a story about a top agent carrying out a secret mission with a slim chance of survival, made the atmosphere even more thrilling.

Nathan put his hands behind his back and gave a thumbs-up to Sido, who was playing the kazoo with great effort behind the curtain, and Klaus, who was tapping a water glass.

however.

Just as everyone held their breath, waiting for the Kraken to demonstrate its transformation and leaping abilities, Xiao Jiu calmly extended its tentacles and deftly snatched the short staff that Nathan was using to command it.

"call out--"

The baton traced an arc in the air, spinning beautifully, before finally striking Nathan's arm with a sharp crack, and then pointing towards the circle of fire.

"Go on, you've just finished your performance, it's your turn!"

"..."

After a moment of silence, good-natured laughter erupted from the audience. Nathan, unfazed, took off his hunting jacket and tossed it aside, where it landed right on Little Nine's tentacle.

"Alright, a true partner should indeed protect their fire-fearing comrade."

He elegantly rolled up his sleeves and unfastened his specially made belt—

Like any other glove, the [Myriad Scales Divine Robe] was disassembled.

Thanks be to God Vanessa for her gifts.

Without taking a long run-up, Nathan's leather boots made a dull thud on the ground, and he soared into the air like a fully drawn bow.

midair.

He tossed the hooked leather belt toward the central ring of fire, which caught precisely on the upper edge. Then, he bent over, curled up his legs, and swung like Tarzan toward the raging flames.

The intense heat scorched his skin, and flames licked his boots.

Nathan did not forget to perform an elegant 360-degree spin in mid-air, and finally passed through the last ring of fire with a clean and steady landing.

He casually smoothed a stray lock of hair.

Nathan turned to face the audience, placed one hand on his chest, and bowed three times in three directions.

The audience seemed to be too slow to react; a full three seconds passed.

"Hooray! Oh oh oh oh!!!"

The screams and applause were deafening, almost lifting the roof off the animal-skin roof.

After all, who would have thought that the turn of events, where the animal trainer himself took to the field, would turn out to be not an embarrassing comedic moment, but rather a thrilling and beautiful performance?

[Hahaha, is this a beast tamer or a beast tamer?!]

[Xiao Jiu: I'm just showing off by jumping through a ring of fire. What a blunder!]

[Amazing! No wonder he's an explorer, that feeling of being suspended in mid-air! It's such a shame he doesn't go to the circus...]

[Upstairs... can't even tell the difference between the big and small kings? Why go to the circus? You should be at the Olympics!]

"A harmonious and wonderful interaction, isn't it?"

Nathan and Xiao Jiu left the stage, and Ren Yi's gentle tone calmed the audience's intense emotions slightly.

"However... the human body ultimately has its limits. In human history, the true turning point of civilization was industry!"

He stepped aside, making room for him.

"Let's hand the stage over to the artist of steel and fire—Mr. Klaus!"