Yexing might just be a simple-minded idiot.

Hmm... That sounds a little harsh. How about a silly little idiot with terrible observational skills?

That sounds much cuter.

Yexing always overlooked all sorts of strange details. She never paid them much attention or gave them much thought.

And on top of that, she was incredibly confident in her ability to run away!

She was always thinking that if she ran into danger, she’d just make a run for it. Why waste brainpower?

That was pretty much the gist of it.

In a way, Yexing—or Ye Lan, rather—was the least suited person imaginable to be a Night Watcher.

Yexing followed behind the Troupe Leader with light footsteps. Her curiosity finally got the better of her, and she began asking a few questions.

“Um... Mr. Troupe Leader, what’s your troupe called, and how many members do you have? Can ordinary troupes still put on shows these days?”

“Ah, our troupe is called the Rising Sun Troupe. There are five of us, including me. We’re currently on tour, though from the looks of things, the performances haven’t been going very well.”

The Tragic Shadow Troupe was just a codename given to them by the Night Watchers. It wasn’t their real name.

Yexing tilted her head, looking a little puzzled. “There are really that few members in a troupe?”

She didn’t know much about the troupe or how its members were arranged, and she had no idea what would be an appropriate thing to ask.

That was what being socially hopeless was like.

Fortunately, the Troupe Leader didn’t lead her very far. They stopped after only a short walk.

“This is the place.”

“Hm?”

A pitch-black passage stretched out before Yexing. It looked pretty ominous.

“Mr. Troupe Leader?”

“Please don’t be afraid, young lady. This passage leads to the inside of the theater. As I said before, we’ll be putting on a performance just for you, so please rest assured—we won’t hurt you.”

After hearing the Troupe Leader out, Yexing thought for a moment, then nodded.

“I knowww.”

Going somewhere unfamiliar with a stranger she’d only just met did carry some risk, but Yexing had a safety net.

Yexing and Ye Lan were connected in mind and spirit, and Ye Lan was at the Night Watchers Base right now.

If Yexing got into trouble, her other self could simply say a friend was in danger, then bring a whole bunch of Night Watchers along.

The Night Watchers were probably more capable than the police.

“Whew~”

With that in mind, Yexing took a deep breath to calm her nerves, then stepped inside.

Once she was in the pitch-black passage, Yexing quickly spotted the light at the exit. She picked up her pace and headed toward it.

“Wow, what a huge theater!”

Yexing’s eyes widened slightly. The stark contrast between the inside and outside had left her stunned.

It felt like she’d stepped into some hidden paradise. The place had a completely different vibe from the outside world.

“It’s so dark...”

There wasn’t much light in here. They probably hadn’t turned on the lights.

Only the stage was a little brighter, which made the whole place feel somewhat eerie.

The silence was almost frightening. She couldn’t see a single person anywhere, and the vast, empty space made the place feel utterly desolate.

Yexing took a careful look around.

The theater didn’t seem to have much in the way of technology.

There were no robots, projection screens, touchscreens, or colorful lights—nothing like that. Like the troupe itself, the place felt old-fashioned.

It was simple and plain, completely out of place with the world outside.

Yexing had lived in Yunchang City for ages, but she’d never known a place like this existed.

“Mr. Troupe Leader, is this your theater?”

“Yes. It’s the theater where we make our home.”

“Then where is everyone else?”

“Follow me.”

Yexing followed the Troupe Leader backstage.

There, she finally got to see a few figures.

“Um...”

Now that she could see people, Yexing suddenly didn’t have the courage to go talk to them.

A socially hopeless person would never approach someone to start a conversation—especially a timid little girl like Yexing.

At most, she’d only wanted to look around.

It would’ve been even better if she could blend into a crowd, keep her presence low at the back, and just look around out of curiosity.

Unfortunately, she was the only one here.

Two people walked over. They were both dressed in black. One wore a mask and had a mysterious smile, while the other wore a suit and carried a cane, looking like a well-mannered young man.

“Ah...”

Yexing blinked, looking a little confused.

She’d run into another “familiar face.”

......

Meanwhile.

The elite Night Watchers at the base were sorting through information on the “Tragic Shadow Troupe.”

Bai Tu, Cai Xun, and Bu Jie were among them.

As mentioned before, the Tragic Shadow Troupe had appeared in many different cities.

The Night Watchers in those cities had dealt with them, so naturally, they’d put together some useful information.

The Tragic Shadow Troupe research team was dedicated to gathering that information.

Whenever a city reported a Star Eclipse connected to the Tragic Shadow Troupe, they’d quickly get in touch and share all their information. They’d also ask whether anything new had been discovered, so they could update their records.

Cai Xun stared at the words on the screen, the corner of his mouth twitching slightly.

“They really did go into detail—even included what it feels like to get caught by his ability...”

Cai Xun was reading the file on the Trickster.

He’d already had a close encounter with that ability, and had nearly died.

If he lifted his covers tonight and found the Trickster grinning at him, he wouldn’t be surprised. Just thinking about it gave him goosebumps.

“One of the Tragic Shadow Troupe’s Star Eclipses. Codename: Trickster. Wears a mask that covers the upper half of the face. The reason for its appearance is unknown.

“Its Star Eclipse effect involves removing and replacing concepts. For example, if the concept of ‘fruit’ is removed from an apple, the target won’t think the apple is a fruit when they see it. Then, if the concept of ‘apple’ is replaced with ‘stone,’ the target will think it’s a stone instead.

“In short, its effects can be summed up as ‘a white horse is not a horse’ and ‘calling a deer a horse.’ It’s a mental Star Eclipse, and its mental contamination is extremely severe for ordinary people.

“Night Watchers must maintain a firm, clear head when confronting it. They can only break free of the Star Eclipse’s effects once they realize that their situation is illogical...”

......

Inside the theater.

The Troupe Leader began introducing the others to Yexing.

“This is one of our troupe members. You can call him the Trickster. He uses his skills to give the audience a dazzling visual spectacle.”

The Trickster smiled and nodded at Yexing. “Hello. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

Yexing nodded stiffly. “Um, hello. You too.”

As soon as she saw him, her inner monologue kicked into gear.

The Trickster?

Going by the name, he must be really good at tricking people, right?

Yexing was already on her guard. There was no way she’d let herself get fooled.

As long as she didn’t get tricked, he couldn’t be dangerous.

Hmm... Yeah, that made sense.

......

Bai Tu studied the file in her hands, lost in thought.

“This guy...”

“One of the Tragic Shadow Troupe’s members. Codename: Gentleman. Wears a suit and top hat, and carries a cane. Extremely polite in both speech and manner. The reason for its appearance is unknown.”

“The Gentleman, huh...”

He was the one who’d interrupted her attack on the Trickster.

That sudden mental blow had really hurt. She’d nearly passed out.

Bai Tu then looked at the description of his ability and got a better idea of what it could do.

Its Star Eclipse effect was roughly a forced imposition of etiquette. It could create a large-scale mental field.

Everyone within the field became extremely polite, to an almost deranged degree. They could only return to normal after leaving it.

This was the first Night Watcher to encounter the Gentleman’s summary of its effects, and it was incomplete.

Later, other Night Watchers made new discoveries.

For example, the Gentleman could plant a mental mark on someone. As long as the mark remained, they’d be in the same state as someone inside the field. They’d only return to normal once the mark disappeared.

During that time, any impolite words or actions would trigger a painful mental blow.

Its mental contamination could even spread among ordinary people. Some regions would’ve fallen long ago if they hadn’t had Night Watchers with the right abilities to handle it.

That was why the Night Watchers also called the Gentleman the “Polite Devil.”

“How dangerous...”

Bai Tu looked at another section.

Besides the Trickster and the Gentleman, the Tragic Shadow Troupe also had a mysterious Troupe Leader, but...

Its Star Eclipse effect was unknown.