The Rich Cultivator-Chapter 394. Clown left the Circus

"This is the Twilight Sunflower," Tyler whispered, eyes widening with wonder. "They shine under sunlight... I thought these were extinct."

Before them, nestled under a delicate beam of filtered sunlight, stood a solitary sunflower as white as fresh snow—from its silky petals to the roots coiled in mineral-rich soil. Its glow was faint, almost ethereal, as if moonlight had decided to grow in the form of a flower.

"Wow..." Mana said, stepping beside him. "That over there... it’s Natural Carbonated Water from the underwater sources of the Trench Fires—those deep-sea volcanoes. But it’s mixed with a lot of chemicals, so it’s not for drinking. Just for display."

They were inside a vast, dimly lit warehouse hidden within the cavernous underbelly of a floating port city. The place was packed with rare treasures—strange minerals, glowing herbs, and mystical artifacts—preserved using ancient techniques and sealed enchantments. Some crates hummed with protective runes, while others were suspended mid-air inside transparent cubes of time-stasis. The whole place gave off a surreal, museum-like atmosphere.

To avoid drawing attention from other pirates, especially those with spiritual tattoos that could sense intruders, Tyler and Mana had deliberately chosen this less-patrolled area. It wasn’t empty—but it was quiet enough for them to move unnoticed.

Near the base of the Twilight Sunflower, a cluster of Sunstones glowed with gentle heat, mimicking the solar light needed to keep the flower alive. Everything had been arranged with care, a testament to how valuable this flower was.

While they explored, both of them moved with caution, discreetly planting concealment and barrier charms across the room. Just in case they had to escape in a hurry.

"I want that Twilight Sunflower," Tyler said suddenly, his gaze fixed on the rare bloom.

Mana raised an eyebrow. "Mana doesn’t think it’s going to be that easy."

"I know. Every item here is surrounded by detection arrays. If anything leaves the detection zone, the entire system will go off. And the ’circus’ will come running."

Mana stepped forward, her body shimmering as she phased through the detection field like a ghost slipping through a veil.

Tyler observed carefully, then added, "Even if you manage to phase through, using a storage device won’t work. See those faint silver lines of prana? They’re connected directly to the flower’s stem. If that connection gets cut off, it triggers the alarm."

Mana sighed. "So basically, it’s impossible to steal it without alerting someone."

"Not impossible," Tyler said with a sly grin. "As long as the flower doesn’t technically leave the array’s circle—and we don’t use a storage device—we’re in the clear."

He held up the ordinary looking copper pot.

Mana’s eyes lit up. "You sneaky genius." She took the pot from his hands.

With her command , the copper pot expanded, unfolding into a wide basin large enough to hold the sunflower without disturbing the detection array. Mana carefully loosened the roots of the Twilight Sunflower and transferred it into the pot, making sure not to sever the prana lines.

Then, she reached in the Copper pot and took out a second sunflower and slipped it into her personal storage device. As expected, the alarm charms didn’t react. Then she poured out the Twilight Sunflower.

With slow, steady movements, Mana lifted the copper pot and stepped backward, exiting the circle.

Tyler exhaled in relief. "Beautifully done."

Mana smirked and whispered in his ears. "Then you owe me a full day alone."

He chuckled. "Deal."

Just then, a faint vibration passed through the floor.

Soon, the eerie sound of a calliope echoed across every floor of the tented complex, its haunting melody warping through corridors like a carnival gone mad.

"Pinky... My Pinky... They killed Pinky..." came a voice—high-pitched, manic, trembling with fury. "HaHaHa! I’m gonna massacre them! Everyone, get ready. We’re going on a hunt!"

Tyler froze, blinking. "Huh... What just happened?"

"Pinky?" Mana tilted her head, equally confused. "Who’s Pinky?"

Tyler also shrugged his shoulders.

"Since many are leaving. It will be easier for us to sneak around." Tyler said.

Mana eyes lit up.

--- frёewebnoѵel.ƈo๓

Let’s rewind the clock—just a little—before The Shadow Pearl had clashed with the Twin-Headed Sea Serpent.

In the heart of a bizarre and cluttered workshop—tucked deep within the floating circus fortress—a madman worked tirelessly. Broken puppet limbs, cracked masks, glowing crystals, and half-dismembered clown dolls littered every surface. There, under flickering fluorescent lights, the Clown stood hunched over a workbench, his manic giggling the only sound echoing in the room.

"At last... my weapon... is ready," the Clown whispered with trembling excitement. Hovering above him was a tiny, metallic object shaped like an ornate wand crossed with a futuristic firearm. It shimmered with unstable prana, pulsing like a heartbeat.

Behind him, lounging on a beanbag throne made of stitched-together circus banners, the Ring Master scratched a tiny blue lion cub curled in his lap. He looked up, unimpressed.

"Kinda looks like a weewee," he muttered.

"What—No, it doesn’t!" the Clown barked, whirling around. "And what the heck is a weewee?"

"Penis," said the Ring Master casually. "I just don’t like saying the word."

The Clown blinked. "No, it does not—" He turned back to the weapon, eyes narrowing. "Wait. You always do this. You ruin everything! HAHAHAHA!"

"I’m just saying..."

"How about you stop breathing, you waste of oxygen!" the Clown snapped, his painted smile twitching with barely concealed rage. "Maybe then the air would stop smelling like circus peanuts and disappointment."

"What does it even do?" the Ring Master asked, ignoring the insult. "Impregnate people from a distance?"

"No! It’s a laser gun," the Clown snapped. "People will feel a flash in their eyes. BLINDING LIGHT. Confusion. Panic. Screaming. It’s a masterpiece!"

"I mean... I already feel flashes in my brain just looking at it," the Ring Master muttered. "Is it gonna shoot... white stuff?"

The Clown froze, eyes wide.

"NO! It’s not a weewee!"

Suddenly, something flickered in his peripheral vision. A blinking red light. A loud beep. Then silence. The Clown’s expression shifted—his grin collapsing into a blank stare before twisting into a grotesque smile as his eyes welled up with tears.

"...My Pinky?" he whispered.

The Clown’s shoulders trembled. "MY PINKY IS DEAD?!"

That was his pet. His companion. His partner in giggling chaos. Gone.

His laughter bubbled up slowly, twisted and hollow. "Hahaha... haha... HAHAHAHAHAHA!"

With a violent slap, he smashed the large orange button labeled EMERGENCY.

All throughout the circus tent, a deep vibration surged like a wave of vengeance. Lights dimmed. The haunting music of a mechanical calliope screamed to life, echoing through every hallway, every chamber, every bloodstained curtain.

"Pinky... My Pinky... They killed Pinky..." came a voice—high-pitched, manic, trembling with fury. "HaHaHa! I’m gonna massacre them! Everyone, get ready. We’re going on a hunt!"

He grabbed a clown hat from the wall, jammed it onto his head at an angle, and pointed a finger at the Ring Master.

"You! Stay here and guard the tent. If anyone tries to touch my collection, gut them like a balloon animal."

The Ring Master sighed. "Sure. I’ll just sit here. With my blue lion. And trauma."

"I will bring the Trauma with me." Clown took the Weewee.

Still laughing and sobbing, the Clown disappeared in a blur of wild magic and red mist. Chaos was about to unfold, and he would be its maestro.

┉┈ ◈ ◉ ◈ ┈┉

Inside the Pink Mist

The Shadow Pearl drifted silently, its hull cutting through the endless fog of shimmering pink. The mist was thick, clinging to the sails and curling like fingers over the deck. Visibility was almost zero, and even their navigation arrays were flickering erratically.

"We can’t find a way out," Mathilda muttered, her brows furrowed as she stared into the swirling void beyond the ship’s bow. "This pink mist... it’s not natural. It’s an ancient array. Looks like we’re trapped."

"Mm. That matches what I’ve sensed," Temptress said, lounging casually on the ship’s railing, her voice calm despite the tension in the air. "There are only two things that can lead us out. One is the Twin-Headed Sea Serpent—it was the one that guided us through last time. The other is likely some sort of control mechanism... probably hidden somewhere deep inside Fun Streak Island."

Mathilda tilted her head. "So, in short, we’re screwed?"

Temptress smiled, eyes glinting mischievously. "Well, not entirely. There is another way."

Without explaining further, she leapt gracefully into the air and flew ahead of the ship, her silhouette cutting a sharp figure against the pink haze. The Shadow Pearl followed slowly behind, its sails catching the strange wind generated by the mist itself.

At the very edge of the densest fog—where visibility dropped to near zero—Temptress stopped. She hovered midair for a moment before pulling something massive out from her spatial ring.

A ripple of energy spread through the mist as she revealed the enormous, lifeless body of the Twin-Headed Sea Serpent. Its scales glistened, still faintly glowing with remnants of ancient magic. One of its heads was crushed; the other hung limply to the side, its once-proud eyes dull and empty.

Despite her petite frame, Temptress handled the corpse with ease. She was, after all, a Grandmaster-level warrior.

"Time to put you to work one last time," she murmured.

Then, in a sudden spin, she twirled through the air and slammed the serpent’s body into the mist like a whip. The impact released a burst of compressed aura. The fog rippled violently—and then, it parted. A swirling vortex of open air formed before them, revealing a temporary pathway out.

"The mist reacts to the serpent’s body," Temptress said as she rejoined the ship. "Looks like I was right."

Mathilda blinked. "So... you’re just going to whip your way through ancient array?"

"It’s more effective. Remember how it used it’s tail and made way for us." Temptress winked.

As the Shadow Pearl surged forward, following the gap through the mist.

The ship slipped into the water - To be specific - it’s shadow.

And from within the shadow the ship raised again. But this time Mathilda and others turned back normal.

With the path opened, The White Pearl shot ahead, emerging from the edge of the mist and breaking free from Fun Streak Island’s binding array.

The mist slowly closed behind them.