Chapter 670: Master Magician

"What's wrong? Why are you looking at me like that?"

On the lively street full of people coming and going, Thales adjusted the small ragged hat on his head and quietly asked Hilley beside him.

Miss Covendier had already changed back into her practical and plain traveling clothes, and her hair had once again become a bird's nest. She had even patted some dust onto her face. If anyone saw her on the street, no one would think she was a noble young lady.

"Nothing. In the past, you were always wearing splendid clothes. But looking at you today, you are surprisingly suited to this poor and shabby look."

Thales' expression stiffened.

"What do you mean? What does 'surprisingly suited' mean?"

He touched the standard "ordinary passerby" theater costume he had borrowed from the theater, a set so worn that even the edges curled upward, his expression strange.

"Your skin. It is too pampered and does not match," Hilley ignored his question. "Ah, there. Do not move."

The young lady skillfully patted the base of a wall, then cupped His Highness the Prince's face without allowing resistance. "What are you do... mmph, don't, no, let go..." She rubbed and scrubbed hard.

"Hmm. Much better now."

Hilley looked over the work before her and nodded in satisfaction. Only then did she withdraw her evaluating gaze and stride away.

"All right. Stop being naughty and hurry up. The target is moving."

She left His Highness the Prince, or more precisely, poor little Thales with dust and smoke all over his face, jumping and waving his fists indignantly in place.

As the most famous sightseeing and entertainment district, the major streets of Iris District were filled with celebrating crowds.

Drunks who were hugging wine barrels and raising cups in broad daylight staggered all over the streets looking for people to toast. Drunken men lay crookedly in alleys, clearly having drunk too much and not yet woken from their hangovers. Rich foreign guests brought interpreters with them, pointing here and there and spending lavishly. Flower girls carried baskets full of fresh flowers and smiled endlessly whenever they saw couples strolling by. A group of ocean sailors temporarily docked in Jade City gathered together and sang "Merfolk Have No Fathers" and "Is the Sea Eye of Eradication Your Home" in chorus. The lyrics were so crude, vulgar, and unbearable to hear that passing parents had to cover their children's ears and warn them that if they did not work hard as children, they would grow up to become sailors.

Parade performance groups that passed along the road from time to time built stages on the spot to promote the reputation of their troupes. Local escorts and guides of Jade City appeared in every nook and cranny, seeking out outsiders and enthusiastically recommending themselves. Workers from taverns, inns, teahouses, restaurants, and other small shops dragged people all over the street to find business. There were vendors pushing carts and selling small ornaments, street stalls that wished they could occupy every corner, jugglers shouting with all their strength at busy intersections, and carriages carrying wealthy or noble guests toward all sorts of dates and banquets. And of course, most indispensable of all were the tourists dressed in bright finery as they wandered through streets and alleys.

"Top-quality Lichrysm powder gift-tube fireworks, imported from Hanbol, Fire Sea craftsmanship, assembled by local artisans with precision, the same model used by Emerald Palace!"

Thales and Hilley, moving discreetly, passed a vendor pushing a cart full of fireworks and firecrackers. He tirelessly hawked his wares while working hard to drive away the noisy children around him.

"Twenty coppers for one shot! Sixty for five, one hundred for ten! Buy more and get more. Cluster bundles with multiple flames fired together give even better results!"

Defense lawyer Srimanny, the target Thales and Hilley were following on this trip, had walked alone onto the street after the theater let out and blended into the crowd. Here he watched performances and clapped. There he browsed stalls and bought flowers. But he did not stay long anywhere. Along the way, he looked back nervously from time to time, appearing distracted and weighed down by heavy thoughts.

"Srimanny is a famous defense lawyer in the city. He is familiar with city law, eloquent, and has connections in both the Security Hall and the Court of Judgment, so his fees are extremely high," Hilley said while crouching before a lively little stall, pretending to play with a doll. "But the higher his fees, the more high officials and nobles seek him out to defend them in court."

"I know. I have seen his performance in the Court of Judgment. Even a judge as harsh as Brennan could not find fault with him." Thales crouched beside her, but the corner of his eye remained fixed on Srimanny, who was sitting outside a restaurant across the street, staring blankly at a cup of wine. "But when Srimanny went to speak with Cacqueray just now, he did not have the bearing of someone eloquent at all..."

"Indeed. He has looked worried the whole way, not like an Jade City citizen during the Queen's Day celebration should look."

"He must know something." Thales nodded and said quietly, "Whether about the dead Diop or the people and matters involved behind him. And those matters frightened him badly enough that he had to find Cacqueray and ask about news from the palace."

In the distance, Srimanny exhaled, seeming to make up his mind. He left a few coins behind and rose from his seat, leaving the cup of wine on the table, untouched.

Hilley put down the doll and stood with Thales, leaving the stall owner, who had expected them to buy something, with a disappointed face.

"Then are you preparing to show yourself and find him?"

"Not here. It would be easy for Zayen's eyes and ears to discover us. We have to wait until he reaches somewhere less crowded..."

"And then move him with reason and emotion. 'Come, join Prince Thales, and together we will defeat Great Demon King Zayen'?"

The two blended back into the crowd and trailed behind Srimanny. They watched him first reward a group of street performers with a few copper coins, then call over a flower girl and listlessly choose flowers from her basket.

"If there is truly no other way," Thales shook his head, ignoring the sarcasm in her words, "then we can only ask him in a 'civilized, polite, pleasant' manner."

"What does that mean?"

"An inside joke from the Star Lake Guard. It has to do with a subordinate of mine named Morgan... eh, where did you get those flowers?"

Thales looked in surprise at the bouquet that had suddenly appeared in Hilley's hand. There were at least three colors or varieties inside.

"Of course, you gave them to me!" the young lady of Covendier said with full confidence.

"What?"

Thales froze and turned his head. At some point, a little flower girl carrying a flower basket had appeared beside them and was looking at Thales with a full smile and hopeful eyes.

Hilley raised an eyebrow.

"Oh? Are you saying that during a date, you do not intend to buy me flowers?"

Thales' expression stiffened.

Several minutes later, Hilley walked along the street, happily playing with the flowers in her hand, while Thales touched his money pouch, which had become even flatter, and wondered what excuse he could use to ask Zayen for reimbursement.

"Be happy." Hilley pulled out one flower and stuck it into a hole in Thales' hat. "We are following someone, after all. We need to blend into the crowd and act natural. Do not let anyone see a flaw."

As she spoke, Srimanny held a bouquet and turned this way and that. He hesitated for quite a while outside an unremarkable barber shop before finally stepping inside.

Thales and Hilley hurriedly stopped and pretended to be tired tourists, sitting down on a broken stone slab across the street to rest.

"I cannot believe he walked around like a headless fly for so long, and the result was that he came to, uh, get a haircut?" Thales was somewhat helpless.

"Compared with that," Hilley said, "during the Emerald Celebration, there is actually still a shop open for business?"

Thales shook his head. He awakened the Sin of Hell's River, entered the Hell's senses, and focused on sight and hearing, observing the movements inside the shop across the bustling street.

"Welcome. Haircut or beard trim?"

Inside the barber shop, several workers sat casually on the floor, playing cards intermittently. Seeing a customer come in, one of them lazily stood after being urged and mocked by his companions. He pulled the cover cloth off a chair and tied it around his waist as an apron.

Srimanny took a deep breath.

"I..."

"Very sorry. Our manicurist went back to the countryside to get married."

The barber's face was full of unwillingness. He picked up a razor, wet it, and casually scraped it over a whetstone.

"But there is a discount during Queen's Day. Come with two people, and one goes free..."

Srimanny smiled very unnaturally. He walked to a vase in the shop, removed the dead branch inside, and crookedly inserted the fresh flowers he had just bought.

The worker's gaze changed, and he stopped sharpening the blade.

"Oh, nice flowers." The worker gave his companions a look, and the others threw down their cards one after another. "Old customer?"

"Yes. I think... I want to find Balta." The defense lawyer looked troubled. "I came a few days ago. You should recognize me."

After Srimanny finished speaking, he took several copper coins from his pocket.

The workers in the shop looked at one another. The one who had spoken nodded and skillfully accepted the copper coins.

"The boss went out and will not return for a while. But if there is something, you can leave a message. We will pass it on, guaranteed word for word."

Srimanny froze, somewhat confused.

"What? Balta went out? At this time?"

"Yes. At this time!"

The barber weighed the copper coins in his hand, seemingly dissatisfied.

"Do you have an opinion?"

Affected by the other man's attitude, Srimanny's expression turned ugly. But he still took a deep breath and endured.

"No, of course not. I only... but this is the Emerald Celebration. What matter does he have to go out for..."

"Meeting with old friends!" the leading worker said impatiently.

"Hey, less nonsense! Either leave a message, get a haircut, or get lost," another worker said rudely. "We are not the Security Hall. We also need holidays, need to celebrate, need to go home and accompany our wives and children, all right?"

As soon as he said this, the workers all looked unfriendly.

Srimanny was a well-respected defense lawyer and rarely suffered such idle anger. His face showed indignation, and in anger he prepared to flick his sleeves and leave. But halfway through turning away, he gritted his teeth and turned back, painfully taking out a silver coin.

"Fine. Then can I wait here for the boss to return?"

The workers exchanged glances. The leader had just untied his apron, but hearing this, he smiled and pointed at the hairstyle drawings pasted all over the wall.

Several minutes later, Srimanny had a scarf and cover cloth around him and sat anxiously in a chair, letting the leading worker hold a sharp razor and trim his beard and hair.

"Wonderful," Hilley sighed and boredly untied the bouquet. "Now we have to stay here and wait until he finishes his haircut. What an incredibly realistic secret agent experience."

"Those people in the shop are from the streets." Thales lowered his head and pulled the flower out of his hat.

Hilley's gaze moved.

"How do you know?"

"Have you ever seen a barber with such an arrogant attitude, as if waiting for customers to come beg him?"

"Not necessarily," Hilley curled her lips. "I know one. The way he holds scissors and a razor, it is like he is holding a mystic gun."

Thales shook his head.

"There is only one explanation. This shop is not in the haircut business. It sells something else."

"Such as?"

"I do not know, but I think they should be Blood Bottle Gang people, or part of a small gang under the Blood Bottle Gang."

Hilley asked curiously:

"How do you know?"

"Because they do not look like the Brotherhood."

"What?"

"The personnel sources of the Blood Bottle Gang and the Black Street Brotherhood are different. The distinction is obvious. You can tell from their demeanor, movements, habits, and the level of people they deal with. Those workers clearly..."

Thales spoke subconsciously, but then noticed Hilley's deeply suspicious gaze.

"Oh, I... I heard Wya say it. He, hmm, is widely experienced."

Hilley glanced at him and rearranged the flowers in her hand.

"Wya again?"

"Uh, yes. Wya again."

"Which Wya?"

"Just, a certain Wya."

Hilley, full of disdain, and Thales, smiling awkwardly, looked at each other for one second.

"Fine. I have to say, that 'certain Wya' of yours is quite knowledgeable," Hilley curled her lips while facing the busy street. "He at least guessed half of it right."

"Half?"

"The Brotherhood entered Jade City only a dozen years ago, and their influence is only around North Gate Bridge in the new suburbs. But the Blood Bottle Gang, as I said, are local snakes. They know the rules of Jade City's streets very well," Hilley said. "Among them, you rarely see security crimes like in other places: theft, extortion, kidnapping, robbery, murder, all the bad things that make merchants stay away."

"How do you know?"

"Please, Your Highness. I grew up here."

"No. I mean, how do you know what 'other places' are like?"

Hilley glanced at him.

"Oh, that. I heard it from 'Wya.'"

Thales helplessly shrugged and bit back the words "which Wya."

She really held grudges.

Thales changed the topic.

"Then I guess here, using the Blood Bottle Gang as an example, their way of making a living on the streets is different too?"

"Correct. To a large extent, they have integrated into completely normal economics and production, at most somewhat out of bounds."

"For example?"

Hilley thought for a moment.

"Rather than a gang, they are more like guilds. People of the same profession, same situation, and same region gather together: barbers, cobblers, blacksmiths, printers, coachmen, porters..."

"Then how do they get money and operate?"

"Protection fees, taxes, transport fees, brokerage fees, cooperation with large chambers of commerce, joint industry monopolies, gray businesses operating in gaps of the law. They take a share from prosperous Jade City trade in ways between legal and illegal. I have heard that some of them even participate directly in operations and are almost no different from merchants. And as long as they stay within the bottom line and do not go too far, the Security Hall will even cooperate with them."

Thales frowned.

"Sounds like unofficial street city management."

"Who says it is not?"

"And this is the result of generations of Covendiers tolerating and encouraging them?"

"It is 'incorporating' and 'using,'" Hilley corrected. "Ram-Horn Duke Cork, my great-grandfather, believed that in this world, there are always things that cannot be completely brought under control. 'Good bread always has gaps.'"

"Your great-grandfather... the one who had menstruating maids serve vampire guests?"

"What?"

"Nothing."

During their intermittent idle chatter, Thales was also paying attention to the movements inside the barber shop.

"I really did not expect that Duke of the South Coast to understand the trade so well," one card-playing worker said casually. "When he came to the shop today, he even asked where our razors and ointments are purchased, what prices, and how the market rises and falls. Not like those knight lords in my countryside who only know how to put on airs."

Srimanny had originally sat in the chair absent-mindedly, but hearing this, he was startled.

"Hah, what is that!"

The worker shaving Srimanny had a cigarette in his mouth and answered disdainfully.

"I heard the boss say House Covendier invested in many businesses. Of course, their family has mines. Just the Lichrysm business in their territory is enough for him to earn from. In short, if that duke wants to pretend he understands the trade, it could not be easier. Besides, how do you know his people did not prepare notes and cheat sheets for him in advance?"

"What did you say?"

Srimanny reacted, his face deathly pale.

"You mean Duke Zayen came here today?"

"Isn't that right?" The worker did not notice Srimanny's expression and continued, "Noble Lords' Procession. The duke's procession passed this street in the morning, and our shop just happened to be unlucky enough to be chosen as a model shop the duke must visit while sinking into the people. Hahaha, can you believe it? Us? A model? Hahaha!"

"Compared with Roger and Gutierrez's businesses, of course we are models! Craftsmen! Why are we not worthy of the duke's inspection among the people?" The card-playing worker looked proud.

"Sinking into the people? I spit! Just like those knight lords from your countryside, putting on airs!"

The shaving worker switched hands to flick cigarette ash, as if deeply bitter.

"They say it imitates the king and queen's procession among the people hundreds of years ago. But actually, every year is the same damn thing. Just a few fixed routes around Jade City, a huge crowd of servants and runners serving before and behind. Then the little duke comes down shiny-faced and surrounded by people, smiles, shakes hands with us little commoners, asks about our welfare, 'How old are you this year, how many people in your family, are you eating well, dressing warmly, take care of your body,' that sort of thing..."

Another card-playing worker turned back and laughed.

"I know. Then he gives a long, stinking, useless speech about 'I and you are all doing well, I and you will do even better.' Very safe and very hypocritical..."

The shaving worker clicked his tongue, shook his head, and pinched his voice.

"Of course, basically everyone also cooperates by stupidly smiling and nodding, excitedly echoing, 'We are living so very well.'"

Srimanny stared blankly at himself in the broken mirror, swallowed, and joined the conversation.

"Then, when they... I mean, when you faced Duke Zayen and 'stupidly smiled and nodded,' were you sincere?"

The shaving worker raised an eyebrow and waved the razor.

"Yes, of course!"

He smiled sarcastically.

"When a grand duke stands before you with awe-inspiring power, do you know what you feel? Especially when you know he can crush you to death by moving a finger. Ha, if he blinks, your heart almost collapses from fright. If he grins, both your legs tremble!"

Hearing this, Srimanny lost focus for a moment and gritted his teeth.

"Sorry. I got excited just now and shaved crookedly. I'll fix it for you."

The shaving worker lit another cigarette, changed to a pair of scissors, and shook his head disdainfully.

Srimanny stared blankly into the mirror. He had always been harsh about his hairstyle, but he did not pay attention to this mistake that would have driven him mad in the past.

Across the street, Thales also listened in a daze and unconsciously rubbed the flowers in his hand.

A card-playing worker lost a hand. Unhappy, he threw down his cards and took out several coppers.

"I know. Especially when that duke has big and small officials standing behind him, crowding before and after, smiling anxiously, dozens of eyes staring straight at you while waiting for your answer!"

The worker who had won laughed loudly and happily gathered the money.

"And at the very end of the procession, the petty official who directly manages your livelihood, who can make you suffer just by finding an excuse to check taxes, is looking at you with a smile, his face full of encouragement. 'Come on, say whatever you want. Don't be afraid. Tell the duke the truth!'"

"Truth, my ass!"

"Truth? Like, 'Hey, Lord Duke, can you melt down the golden chamber pots in the palace and give us a raise?'"

"Dare say that to his face? When you turn around, the official will go find the Green Skins in charge of this area. Then the Green Skins will go find the boss, and when the boss comes back, he will melt you first!"

"Hahahahaha..."

"No way around it. They are great people, lords, nobles born with good fates. What is melting you to them? Hey, brother, sit still. If I shave you hurt, that is on you!"

Srimanny reluctantly nodded, suppressing his trembling body.

"At that time, forget a small complaint," the shaving worker exhaled smoke and continued. "Even if you had the greatest grievances and suffering, your thousand words would only dare gather into one sensible sentence: 'Life is quite good, thank you, my lord.' Heh. Who can say, who dares say, that this damn thing is not sincere? It is more sincere than when I lower my head and humble myself to ask the boss for unpaid wages, saying, 'I know, I know, thank you for your efforts, boss.' More sincere!"

"One copper," one worker in the card game chuckled. "And I will not tell Boss Balta about that."

"Fuck you!"

"Yo, looking at you all, you still seem very dissatisfied. Be content," Srimanny said nervously amid the teasing. "A grand duke shakes hands with you and smiles in greeting. What more do you want?"

The workers exchanged glances.

Srimanny said in a daze, "As a duke, Lord Zayen cares about people's suffering and cares about your livelihoods. That is still better than him standing high above and caring about nothing, right? For example, the people up north, or the lords in the capital?"

The card-playing worker scratched his head.

"Uh, saying it like that is not wrong. But at the time, I thought... aiya, anyway, I just felt something was wrong."

"He cares about a hammer!"

The shaving worker threw down the scissors, spat, grabbed the razor, and started trimming Srimanny's beard.

"Do not look at that duke smiling all over his face, looking so easy to get along with. But I know, I just know, he cares about shit! Maybe as soon as he turns around, he secretly chews his tongue with his subordinates: 'Fuck, those barbers are filthy as hell!'"

"Yo, now you have exposed yourself! The duke is a noble, a cultured man," the card-playing worker said lazily. "They have many words to use, every one refined. They do not curse crudely!"

"He is a damned duke! The master of Jade City!"

The shaving worker sneered.

"What he should do is not come to our shop, put on a stupid smile, shake a useless hand, then wait for everyone to clap and blow smoke up his ass. What use is this chicken-feather triviality? He should sit in Emerald Palace, sign a document, approve some budget, properly fix the big pit in front of this street, then make the Green Skins come less often to buy on credit, skim money, and steal business. Right, and lower the litigation deposit for wage arrears cases so that it is not only bosses who can afford lawsuits..."

"Two coppers, and I will not tell the boss!"

"Get lost!"

"He must do that, come make a posture and soothe people's hearts," an older worker slowly poured himself a cup of water. "Just like Boss Fogg has to walk the streets from time to time and visit the various bosses. Of course, the bosses everywhere are polite on the surface, but behind his back, none of them care much about him."

"But the bosses still pay shares to Fogg," the card-playing worker reminded.

"Jade City is not like the capital, and we are not like the Black Silks either. Paying shares is paying shares, but it only means, 'I recognize you as boss, but bother me less,'" the shaving worker chuckled. "The bosses in each territory run all sorts of businesses so prosperously. Who wants to cut off a piece of meat? As for Boss Fogg, yes, he is the nominal boss. But if he wants to stick his hand into these businesses the way a king manages dukes? Heh, difficult!"

Inside the shop, Srimanny only sat blankly in the chair, motionless, allowing the worker's razor to trim back and forth.

Across the street, Thales clenched his fist.

"Why are you spacing out? What are you thinking?"

Thales was startled and discovered that the bored Hilley was holding up flowers and drawing circles before his eyes.

"Power."

Thales sighed. He thought of his battle of wits with the Black Prophet in Secret Intelligence and spoke from feeling.

"Very often, power does not need to act at all. It only needs to quietly remain there and maintain its posture to exert unimaginable influence."

Hilley stared at him and did not speak for a long time.

"All right, shave is done. Take a look?"

Inside the barber shop, the worker lifted the scarf and cover cloth and smiled as he stretched out a hand toward Srimanny.

Srimanny came back to himself. He had no time to care about the crooked haircut and hurriedly asked:

"Balta still has not returned?"

The worker shrugged, but his open palm did not withdraw.

"The boss went to see friends. Maybe he drank too much and might not come back at all."

Srimanny frowned tightly, absent-mindedly took out a silver coin, and stuffed it into the worker's hand. The latter was startled and hurriedly hid it in his clothes to avoid being seen by his fellow workers.

"All right. I can see it now. Did you offend some great figure?"

Srimanny's expression changed.

"How... how do you know?"

The worker smiled slyly.

"Do not forget. We are barbers. What other kind of person, for example, could make you willingly lower all defenses and so calmly yet dangerously expose your fragile vital points, your eyes, nose, and throat, under the threat of a sharp razor?"

Srimanny looked at the worker in shock.

"Only at this time, in this chair where you are at another's mercy, will people reveal their most relaxed and truthful side." The worker touched the inner pocket holding the coin. "At this time, the information you get is often the most reliable. The eyes of us workers were trained by Boss Balta, and they are poisonous."

Srimanny was speechless.

"They really are not barbers!"

Across the street, Thales took a deep breath and suddenly understood.

"The shop is only a cover. These people buy and sell underground information."

"How do you know?" Hilley looked suspicious.

"I..."

Thales paused. Only then did he react and unnaturally make up a lie.

"Uh, did you see Srimanny hand them a silver coin? But that worker did not give anything out and only moved his mouth. So what was traded could only be information, right?"

Hilley narrowed her eyes, full of disbelief.

Thales could only laugh dryly.

Inside the shop, the worker patted Srimanny in the chair and spoke to him through the mirror.

"Fine. Seeing as you are fairly generous, do not say I failed to remind you: you are in trouble."

Srimanny was startled.

"What?"

The worker flipped his fingers, and the razor spun in his hand like a trick.

"There, the little couple across the street. That poor shabby boy and that flower girl. They have stayed there in a daze for quite a while, neither kissing nor selling flowers." The worker chuckled. "Surely they are not breaking up after a quarrel, right?"

Poor shabby boy and flower girl. No.

Thales' expression changed dramatically.

"You mean... I am being followed?" Inside the shop, Srimanny's expression changed greatly, and he hurriedly looked toward the street opposite.

"Bad!"

Across the street, Thales gritted his teeth. He quickly shifted his gaze away and grabbed Hilley's hand.

"They saw through us!"

Hilley trembled all over.

She pulled her hand away as if burned by fire, gathered both hands into her arms, tightened her gloves, and let the flowers scatter all over the ground. Her voice trembled.

"How... how do you know?"

"I just know. They are suspecting us. Do not look over there! Hurry, go!"

Thales was about to stand, but Hilley, whose expression was not good, pressed down on his shoulder and stopped him.

"Wait!"

Hilley steadied her breathing and gritted her teeth.

"It is too late to leave now. It will only look more suspicious."

"Then what do we do?"

"Work with me." Hilley looked at the pedestrians all over the street. "We put on a show."

"What show?"

In the next second, before Thales could react, Hilley pressed her whole body close and reached out to take off Thales' hat.

"Uh, don't." Looking at the girl so close that even her eyelashes were visible, Thales felt somewhat uncomfortable. "Although I do not object, pretending to be a couple at this time is too... and your brother will..."

"Only a ghost would pretend to be a couple with you!"

Hilley's cold denial made Thales extremely awkward.

The next second, Hilley stood tall, threw Thales' hat into the sky, and shouted with a full smile:

"All right! Rest is over! The performance continues! Everyone, do not miss it!"

Hilley's voice was soft and pleasant, and the people coming and going on the street gradually had their attention drawn, stopping before her.

Thales sat frozen in place, unable to react.

But he also noticed that inside the barber shop across the street, the worker and Srimanny, who had been full of suspicion, had both frozen too.

In the next second, Hilley turned her head and shot Thales a deathly glare full of killing intent.

His Highness the Prince jolted, abruptly stood, squeezed out a smile, and opened his arms to the people on the street.

"Come look, come look! Missing it would be a pity, walking past it would be a regret! Come look, everyone come take a look!"

Hilley gave a loud shout, nimbly reached out, and caught the hat falling from the sky. Her arm tucked inward, and she pulled out a full handful of flower petals, scattering them into the street.

A rain of petals fell from the sky. Amid the street audience's unified cries of surprise, Hilley smiled like a blooming flower and struck a gesture of thanks for watching.

"The Emerald Celebration is boundless joy! From a family of magicians in a mysterious land, passed down to today, street master magicians Wya and Wyana, brother and sister, present a wonderful magic performance for you here!"