Walking along the Yuexi Plain at the foot of the mountain, heading south.

Having shed his conspicuous monk's robes and donned the farmer's robe and cloak he'd found at Huggins's, Todd, using the bright moonlight and the torches of others, looked out at the pitch-black night road and yawned: "Where are we going? It's so late already, can't we go tomorrow?"

Huggins said to him, “It’s only open to the public at night. Besides, with so much going on lately, we need some entertainment to relax.”

Um?

Open at night? For entertainment and relaxation?

Todd raised one eyebrow, a sudden thought flashing through his mind, immediately conjuring up some inappropriate images for children. He shook his head and gave Huggins a knowing smile, thinking to himself, "I really didn't realize you were such a sly fellow, always looking so serious. No wonder you made me change out of my monk's robes and into casual clothes before we left."

Unexpectedly, Edgar, who was walking ahead, suddenly turned around, his face beaming with excitement and joy: "This is fantastic! The downtown circus only arrived nearby this morning, and they're opening tonight. I thought they would be touring the Kingdom of the Silver Ring for three months before coming here again, but they're back in just over twenty days!"

ha?

circus?

So this is what you've been talking about all along!

Realizing he had completely misunderstood, Todd awkwardly touched his nose, his face instantly turning bright red, feeling deeply ashamed of the filth in his soul. Suddenly remembering a question that had been bothering him, he quickly changed the subject: "Huggins, there's something I wanted to ask you yesterday."

The man parted the bushes blocking the road and nodded to the monks, indicating they could ask questions freely.

"When I was in Senki Village, I noticed that the priests there didn't seem very friendly towards the monks in the monastery. Logically speaking, since we are all clergy who belong to the Father, why would they be hostile towards me?"

Huggins paused, turned to look at Todd intently, took a deep breath through his nose, and slowly said, "Have you ever heard of the Ascetic and the Church factions?"

No, never.

“I guessed so.” The man continued walking, then said after a moment’s thought, “The masters and monks of the San Sidlow Monastery were once divided into two camps: the ascetic and the ecclesiastical. The ascetic were those who focused on spiritual asceticism and religious contemplation. They advocated staying away from worldly temptations and noise, abandoning the guidance of the church, and following only in the footsteps of the Father. The ecclesiastical, on the other hand, advocated bringing the monastery under the jurisdiction of the church and maintaining a close relationship with the secular world, believing that this would be more conducive to spreading the glory of the Father and increasing the number of believers.”

Todd listened and nodded, then asked, "I just heard you say the word 'once'?"

“That’s right. About ten years ago, the monastery experienced the most serious debate between the two factions since its founding. The ascetic faction won a great victory, while the leaders and followers of the ecclesiastical faction were exiled. And Master Myris, whom you know, was one of the leaders of the ascetic faction at that time.”

The monks and apprentices were dumbfounded when they heard this. They never expected that Master Myris, who was usually low-key and kind-looking, had such a formidable record back then.

Seeing the boy's expression, Huggins laughed and shook his head, saying, "You really think that the victory in the factional struggle back then was due to those old men?"

"Could there be someone else involved?"

The man nodded and continued, "On the one hand, the Church faction agreed to accept the land donated for the salvation of souls, and on the other hand, it advocated introducing Church influence into the Saint Sidlow Monastery. These two points violated a major taboo of the Silver Ring Kingdom. Therefore, it would be more accurate to say that the conflict back then was between the Church and the royal power rather than between the ascetic faction and the Church faction."

Just as Todd was about to ask another question, Edgar in front of him cheered.

"We're here! We're here! It's right ahead!"

Following the others, they climbed over the high slope in front of them. The monks stood on the high ground and looked down, secretly marveling at the lively scene.

In the vast open space, one tall tent after another was erected. Colorful lanterns, fluttering flags, beautiful women wielding throwing knives, strong men breathing fire, and clowns on stilts filled the air with a cacophony of voices, occasionally punctuated by the calls of animals. All of this adorned the scene with vibrant colors, creating a dreamlike and enchanting spectacle. A diverse array of people moved among the market-like stalls and tents: elegantly dressed women, vibrant and flamboyant; robust young men, chatting and laughing; kind-hearted elders, sitting with gentle smiles; and playful children, frolicking and playing joyfully.

The location of the downtown circus was strategically chosen, not only near the San Sidlow Abbey but also centrally situated among several major towns in the Silver Ring Kingdom. Perhaps because it was its first day of operation, while there were quite a few people, according to Huggins, the crowd would increase significantly in the coming days, with a peak night's attendance potentially exceeding 20,000. While this number would have been quite low in his previous life, in the sparsely populated Middle Ages, it would have been considered a large marketplace.

Following in the footsteps of the other three, Todd approached the circus camp and discovered something interesting.

Contrary to expectations, the downtown circus is open to the public. In other words, there is no entrance fee for the rides; a viewing fee is only charged when entering a specific tent to watch the show. At first glance, this pricing method seems to reduce overall revenue, but it attracts a large number of people with limited financial means. Combined with the income from the self-operated or rented stalls, it forms a customer-centric, ancillary industry profit model.

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!