Shade took back his deck, and the three people at the table drew their first cards together:
"The boy said: I am willing to spend my whole life to seal you just like my grandfather did."
When he saw that his first card was Star 12, he smiled:
"And this time the story begins with the boy taking away the devil."
"The devil agreed to the boy's wish, signed a soul contract, lived in the boy's soul, and followed the boy into the distance."
Mr. Asmon's low but still smooth voice began the story of the devil again. It was quite atmospheric to listen to this kind of story while playing Rhodes under the dim kerosene lamp of a country tavern.
"The devil did not harm the boy, but it kept whispering in the boy's ear day and night, trying to corrupt his soul. But the boy remembered the sacrifices of his relatives, so he just endured it silently."
"If someone was nagging in my ear all day, even if it was that beautiful cat from the circus, I wouldn't be able to stand it."
Magician Winston muttered, and the three of them touched the second card together.
Shade raised his eyebrows and saw that the card in his hand was the 8 of stars:
"It's 20 o'clock."
So he knocked on the table to signal that he would stop trading, and showed his total points.
Mr. Winston and Mr. Asmon continued to draw cards:
"The boy left his hometown and walked, walked, and walked towards the distance. He grew up day by day, and the devil resided in his soul, which also gave him some unusual powers. The grown-up boy walked a long way
On the way, one day, he passed by a village near the river."
Shade looked at the demonologist and saw the other person put three cards in his hand on the table:
"At 19 o'clock, I will stop trading."
"I'm at 20. Maybe you can try again and draw another card."
Shade reminded, and Mr. Asmon raised the corners of his mouth and lowered his eyebrows and said:
"I never gamble on luck. I am happy to accept the status quo. Since fate has given me so much, I will accept so much."
The magician on the other side was caught in a dilemma. He took his three cards and looked at Shade's 20 points, frowning deeply.
"Are you 20 o'clock too?"
Shade picked up the wine glass and took a sip of the newly brought butterbeer. This drink actually does not contain alcohol.
"Yes, I'm not willing to accept a draw, but if I try to draw another card, I will definitely bust the card."
The magician said, and then suggested to Shade:
"How about we each draw another card, which is only bigger than the value of the last card?"
"I have no objection."
Shade said, looking at Mr. Asmon, who shook his head and continued telling the story:
"In that small village by the river, the young man who was injured after killing the evil Cyclops was carefully taken care of by the young girl. The girl who had never left the village had bright eyes and long hair like silk.
And a smile as bright as Xiahua. Just like in all the stories, she fell in love with the brave young man. Even though the young man knew that he should not have feelings for anyone else, he inevitably fell in love with the young man.
Girl."
"I am the sun 8."
The magician drew an extra card, and Shade also revealed his own card:
"I am Moon 9. I'm so sorry, I won the first game."
Shade said with a smile, while the magician muttered "unlucky" and signaled to start the next round.
All three people drew the first card of the second round, but no one looked at the hole card, but directly took the second card:
"The love between a young man and a girl should be a tragedy, right?"
Shade asked Mr. Asmon:
"What did the devil do?"
Together with the magician who was also interested in the story, he looked at the demonologist, who stared at Shade:
"Love is often unreasonable. Even with a demon on his back, the determined young man by nature still fell deeply in love with the girl. If he had not chosen to spend his life to seal and guard the demon, this would have been
A wonderful love story, but a pity. The devil did nothing. It just whispered in the young man's ears, praising the girl's kindness and the beauty of love."
"Tsk, tsk."
Shade and the magician were stunned at the same time. Both of them had a premonition that this should be another story that ended in tragedy. However, they didn't know how the story would end.
"Flowers 9, stars 9.18 points, I will stop trading."
Mr. Asmon said, Shade then looked at the cards in his hand, but currently they were only Sun 3 and Moon 11, and he wanted to draw the next card.
The magician Mr. Winston also chose to continue drawing cards, and the story continues:
"The devil seemed to speed up the healing process of the young man's injury, and he soon regained the ability to start traveling again. The young man's silence let the girl know his intention to leave. So, in a sky full of stars and a silver moon high,
On a hanging night, the young girl stood by the barn and extended an invitation to the young man to stay and settle here."
Shade sighed and looked at his third card:
"I feel like my mood is getting worse. Flower 5, I'm at 19, suspension."
The magician looked at the 18 points in his hand, and then touched the fourth card. After opening it, he sighed in annoyance and threw the four cards on the table:
"The last card turned out to be a flower 13, I busted the card."
"Then I win."
Shade smiled and took away two crowns of gold coins from the empty plate. The special card was still in the magician's deck. He had to wait until the game was over before taking it away.
"Now, it's the showdown between Mr. Winston and Mr. Asmon. Oh, Mr. Asmon, please continue with the story."
"That night, the girl's eyes were as bright as stars, her red lips were more delicate than new spring flowers, and her black hair was like the feathers of the noblest night crow. But in the face of the invitation, the young man was silent."
"His mood should be very complicated, just like me now."
The magician who had already lost his special card said, and nervously drew the first hidden card and the second card, then his eyes lit up and he showed his hand:
"The second card is my [Circus Tragedy·Headless Clown]!"
"The rules must be activated during the settlement phase. This is not a friendly rule."
Shade commented that Mr. Asmon also drew the first two cards and continued to draw cards without even looking at them:
"The young man knew what he was carrying, and he also knew what the consequences would be if he chose to stay. So, he rejected the girl's invitation and then killed her."
Somehow, Shade was not surprised at all.
Mr. Asmon's eyes were still fixed on Shade. Without looking at the third card, he knocked on the table to indicate that he should stop playing.
"Is he angry that the girl almost destroyed his determination?"
The magician asked, carefully turning over his third card, and then shouted:
"Is there such a thing?"
The first three cards, Moon 7, Star 3, and Moon 11, were exactly 21 points. However, due to special rules, the Star 3 was removed and 5 was added. His final point was 23 points, and unfortunately the card was busted.
Mr. Asmon revealed his three cards, then folded his hands and smiled. The total points were only 12, but he still won. So the demonologist took out 5 crowns from the empty plate and put it away.
Putting it into his pocket, Shade pushed the plate with only 1 crown left to the magician. Although the latter was annoyed, he was more concerned about the ending of the story:
“Why on earth do young people do this?”
"The young man knew that he had fallen deeply in love with the girl. Even if he left here, he would spend his whole life missing her. In order to prevent the devil from returning here after his death, it was like returning to his hometown after leaving his grandfather to recover his thoughts.
He took the girl's soul just like the souls of his relatives, so the young man took the initiative to kill her and liberated her soul.
Then, the young man shouldered his luggage again and walked towards the distant horizon. He was free, and so was her soul."
Shade and the magician had the same expression at this time, with their mouths pursed and their faces sullen. The two looked at each other and found it difficult to evaluate this story:
"I can't say that what the young people did is completely wrong."
Shade could only say this:
"Judging from the previous three stories, the young man's premonition is correct. Even if he travels far away, when his life comes to an end, the devil will definitely change into his appearance and return to the girl."
"But the young man killed his passionate lover like this. This is too much for our best circus bard to think of such a story. However, I must admit that it is a good story."
The magician also commented, and Shade asked again:
"So, is there any continuation of the story?"
"Of course, there are still many chapters to this bizarre and long story. But, just like last time, let's tell it next time."
Mr. Asmon picked up the wine glass and drank it with his back. His Adam's apple rolled, and a small amount of wine slid down Qing Xuxu's beard.
The magician Mr. Winston sighed, picked up the remaining 1 crown, and handed the Star 3 [Circus Tragedy - Headless Clown] to Shade:
"It belongs to you. You exchanged a special card for a card game, an unfinished story and a gold coin. This is considered worthwhile."
He stood up and said:
"It's getting late. If I don't go back, the leader will punish me to clean the stables. You two, it's a pleasure to meet you. And Mr. Asmon, if we have a chance to meet next time, please continue to tell the story."
Shade stood up to say goodbye, while the demonologist just nodded with his glass in hand. The two watched the somewhat disinterested magician disappear to the other side of the tavern, which was still lively after dark.
Afterwards, Shade sat down and picked up the cup again. Under the increasingly dim kerosene lamp, he slightly tilted his head and continued the topic from the beginning:
"The demon story is over for now. So, regarding the local demon rumors, Mr. Asmon, are you interested in talking to me?"