Leona was awakened by Eric.
She opened her eyes groggily, thinking he wanted another embrace. So she reached out to wrap her arms around his waist and buried her head in his chest, ready to continue sleeping.
He seemed to pause for a moment, but quickly grabbed her arm and tore her away.
This was the first time he had rejected her embrace.
Leona was fully awake now.
They didn't know how long they had slept. The sky was already getting dimly lit.
Morning mist was spreading. It seemed it had rained lightly last night. The moss, decaying leaves, and mud were all wet, showing a muddy and gloomy green color.
The sight of the mud made Leona's head ache.
Even after so much time had passed, she still couldn't adapt to the harsh outdoor environment.
No bed, no water, the mud could easily swallow her trouser legs and soak her shoes.
She estimated that even after another ten years, she still wouldn't be able to get used to such a life.
When she hesitated, Eric had already gotten up and left the tent.
Leona put on her shoes and was about to go out to look for him when suddenly, there came the sound of horse hooves and the creaking of wheels turning outside.
No wonder Eric had torn her away and left early.
He didn't like being watched by strangers and rarely appeared in public.
As a predator, he didn't need to be in the open; shadows were more suitable for launching attacks.
It seemed that the carriage had stopped in front of the tent. The sound of the door being pushed open rose, and someone jumped down from the carriage and walked towards her.
Leona reacted quickly and immediately rushed to the side of the tent, only showing a side profile, with one hand behind her back, pretending she had a gun in it:
" - Who?"
A warm voice sounded: "Thank goodness, you're here. I thought that freak had killed you!"
The person seemed to know her and spoke in a very familiar tone, but she had no idea who he was.
Leona's heart tightened.
From his tone, it seemed that he knew about Eric's existence and everything that had happened in the circus.
She thought that since the manager was dead, the matter of the circus was over, and she had completely gotten rid of those people.
But now it seemed that she was still under the shadow of the circus.
Someone had even secretly tracked them here.
Leona said coldly: "I don't recognize you."
"But I recognize you," the man took off his hat and bowed to her, his action so modest that it was almost comical, "You are Leona·Clermont from the circus, right?"
"If I say no?"
The man laughed: "Then I would say that you are a dishonest child - do you know Emily?"
Leona's tone tightened: "She's not with me."
"I know, because she's with me," the man said, "To show my sincerity, Mr. Clermont, let me introduce myself first. My name is Tricky Tre. I'm an honest and friendly middleman. I never resort to violence, so you can safely come out and talk to me."
Leona didn't know what he was up to and thought for a moment before slowly walking out.
It's okay, she told herself, Eric was watching her in the shadows.
She didn't realize that this was an unhealthy dependence.
The moment she saw Tricky clearly, Leona was jolted.
She recognized this tall and thin man. On the morning after the crossing and at the party that evening, he stood beside Emily, chatting and laughing with the manager.
• Emily's brother!
Her guess was wrong. The tall and thin man was not Emily's brother.
He claimed to be a "middleman," but what kind of middleman he was and why he was tracking them... Leona had no idea and didn't dare to think further.
"I don't think I have the value to be approached by a middleman," she said word by word.
"You are very vigilant, which is good," Tricky took out a match from his pocket and then a cigarette from his cigarette case, "These times are unsafe, with bad people everywhere. The police don't care, and the Pinkerton Detective Agency only serves the rich - people like us, even if we die, no one cares."
Leona said coldly: "Are you saying that even if I die here, no one will care?"
"As God is my witness!" Tricky took a puff of his cigarette and shook his head in exclamation, "But it can be understood. Dawes really isn't a good person, deceiving and swindling without restraint. Let me tell you the truth. I'm not Emily's brother."
Leona pretended to be surprised and raised her eyebrows.
"Dawes sent me to persuade Emily to die peacefully and 'donate' her body to those curious scientists."
Leona finally understood what was meant by "the art of language."
Kidnapping people and making illicit money could actually be described as "contributing to science" by the person in front of her.
Leona sarcastically asked: "Are you here to recruit me to 'contribute to science'?"
Tricky smiled and said: "Dear, except for Emily, no one else has to contribute to science."
He exhaled a puff of smoke and narrowed his eyes: "I'm here to recruit your companion, Eric."
He finally got to the point.
Leona's heart skipped a beat. Her mind raced, trying to sound jealous to extract information from him: "Eric? What's so great about him? He's just a thief who steals faster!"
"If you had seen the manager's death, you wouldn't say that."
Leona replied righteous: "I didn't see it. My horse got scared." This was the truth.
Seeing her evasive answers, Tricky became impatient, and his initial good attitude disappeared.
"Cut the small talk, kid," he changed his tone to her again, "Tell me where Eric is, and I'll give you a large sum of money to ensure you'll live comfortably for the rest of your life. You don't want to spend your life stuck in the mud, do you?"
Tricky looked at her as if she were a fool unaware of the treasure she possessed.
But he had no idea that once she handed over the treasure, she would die.
Besides, Eric was so powerful, almost omnipotent, and everyone wanted him to work for them.
So why should she hand him over?
However...
Leona looked at Tricky's carriage.
Undoubtedly, this was an expensive private carriage.
The carriage was painted, with silk curtains hanging, and there were even exquisite paintings on the body. The wheels were well-maintained, looking sturdy and easy to turn.
Tricky was wealthy, and he had offended Eric - Eric definitely hadn't gone far and might be listening to their conversation nearby.
Leona maliciously thought that she didn't know if she could persuade Eric to rob Tricky.
In this way, she wouldn't have to "spend her life stuck in the mud."
After all, Eric was so formidable.
He was like a predator and prey relationship with her.
Even so, she felt better than being cold and lonely in reality.
She was too eager to socialize.
Without socializing, even smelling some human presence would do.
Just like Eric, she also wanted a hug.
Any kind of hug.
As long as it confirmed that she was still alive.
By the time she came back to her senses, Tricky had already boarded the carriage and left.
Footsteps sounded behind her. Eric was back.
A tall shadow loomed over her. He stood behind her, snatching the business card from her hand.
For some reason, his head was slightly bowed, and the position of his nose behind the mask was facing the business card... It was as if he was sniffing the scent of the business card.
Why?
Because she had smelled it too?
Leona was puzzled.
She didn't think much about it and perked up to say to him: "...I want to go to this banquet."
Eric looked at her, neither affirming nor denying.
"I want to start a circus, and it's not just an empty promise," Leona said, "Tricky has connections with the manager. Maybe those nobles at the banquet will be interested in the circus. If I'm lucky enough, I might get a lot of investment there."
Eric held the business card and looked at her, his expression inscrutable.
Leona now became very conscious and hugged him when she met his gaze:
"You can rest assured, I won't exchange anything for you."
While hugging him, she added in her heart: But it would be even better if you could help me rob Tricky.
Of course, she was just bragging in her mind and didn't think she had the ability to order Eric around.
Eric remained noncommittal throughout, but after she hugged him, he returned Tricky's business card to her.
Leona breathed a sigh of relief. He believed her explanation.
The crisis was over.
Just as this thought flashed through her mind, the business card in her hand suddenly burst into flames -
The fire seemed to appear out of nowhere. She was sure the business card wasn't coated with oil, alcohol, or any flammable substance, but it was burning!
She was startled.
The business card fell into the mud, still burning. The flames were unusually large, and in a short while, it turned into a pile of ashes.
Leona's heart pounded, and she couldn't recover for a long time.
She knew that the essence of magic was an illusion - or rather, a form of performing art.
Magicians deceive the audience's eyes and ears by manipulating their psychology and misleading their vision.
However, witnessing this scene with her own eyes was still too shocking.
If she could connect to the internet on her phone, she would probably be searching for decryption videos online.
Leona stared at the business card, somewhat dazed, and asked: "...Can I still go to the banquet?"
Unexpectedly, Eric nodded.
Leona was surprised and puzzled at the same time. Since so, why did he burn Tricky's business card?
Suddenly, a strange idea popped into her mind:
He can't be refuting what she said to Tricky, "So what's so great about it? There's an Indian in the circus who can even spit fire"... right?