Chapter 35: Shadow Moon Festival Day Welcome to the Carnival of the Dead...

The Merchants Association was located on the Second Street of District A in the Royal Capital, the most prosperous area in the entire capital. From the outside, it looked like a large, glittering gold coin, with the Chamber of Commerce's flags on both sides. The scarlet flags were embroidered with unicorns and magic crystal abacus in gold thread.

"They actually used a pure unicorn as the Chamber of Commerce flag." Ye Wan pointed at the door:

"I heard that unicorns are the purest magical creatures. How can they be associated with the Chamber of Commerce?"

Youan had obviously learned everything about the Merchants Association in advance. He said without hesitation, "Because the unicorn horn can prevent plague and witchcraft, and can even detect whether food is poisonous. If a unicorn horn encounters poison, it will burn. It is a treasure worth a fortune."

"Plus, the mixture of unicorn and dragon saliva can help partners remain faithful while away from home."

The two were standing at the gate when a beautiful woman in a blue dress, carrying a basket of vegetables, added: "Are you here for business at the Merchants Association? Come in."

She pushed open the door of the Merchants Association.

The association hall is very magnificent, with eight marble columns inlaid with emeralds and black iron pelicans carved on the edges.

Ye Wan deliberately walked around to take a look and saw that the pelicans had their mouths stuffed full of gold coins.

The blonde girl put the basket of vegetables down casually, and then stood at the majestic curved front desk, which had an elegant dark brown walnut tabletop that was polished with wax and looked very elegant.

"So, what business are you two here for?"

Ye Wan thought for a moment and said, "Oh, yes. We plan to hold a carnival of the dead on the evening of Shadow Moon Festival in Honey Alley, District C of the Royal Capital. We hope that interested vendors can join us."

The blonde took out a quill and parchment: "Shadow Moon Festival... Honey Lane..."

"Okay, I've made a note of it. The Merchants Association will send out invitations to all members when the time comes."

She spread her hands: "Twenty copper coins."

Ye Wan took out some money from her small bag. She was quite satisfied. "To be honest, twenty copper coins isn't expensive. I thought you would only be willing to help us if you gave us at least a few dozen silver coins."

The blonde girl took the money and gave a mysterious smile. "This is a merchant association, not a charity. We want to take 20% of the profits from every merchant at this carnival you're hosting."

"Twenty percent???" Ye Wan almost jumped up and down.

"Relax, dear. I told you we're not a charity." She took out a contract and a quill. "Sign your name in the bottom right corner."

Ye Wan signed the document depressedly.

You An added, "The Soul Dance Troupe will be performing that day. Remember to highlight your addition to the merchants."

The blonde girl took the contract and looked at Youan meaningfully: "That was the most popular song and dance troupe in the capital in the past ten years. You do have some business acumen."

When they returned to Honey Lane, the square behind was already bustling with activity, as many former members of the Undead Song and Dance Troupe were already rehearsing there.

"I have to think about what kind of delicious food I should make that day." Ye Wan said worriedly.

The chimneys of Dorothy and Leo's houses next door started to smoke since early morning. According to inquiries from various sources, Dorothy was preparing to make cute ghost candy, while Leo was preparing to make carnival pizza.

Ye Wan went to the attic and randomly flipped through a few recipes, and she actually found them: Vomit Pasta, Bloody Brains, Disgusting Earthworm Jelly...

Ye Wan flipped through the books and shook his head: "These do look a bit too disgusting."

She prepared some pumpkin juice, boiled it with apples and apricots, and added cinnamon for flavor. The bloody brain flower cake was made by layering cheese frosting on a baked chiffon cake, and then drizzling a layer of strawberry and chocolate sauce on top.

Youan came in with a basket of pumpkins. He took one look at the brain cake and his face immediately turned pale.

"Hey? You're not afraid of this, are you?" Ye Wan asked.

"I didn't." His face twisted for a moment, then quickly returned to its cold look.

Ye Wan picked up the cake and walked towards him.

The strawberry jam and chocolate jam solidified into a dark pool of blood. With one cut of the knife, dark red liquid mixed with chocolate beads gushed out.

Youan stepped back.

"Don't run..." Ye Wan showed a mischievous smile, the corners of her mouth turned up, and her laughter was sweet like chocolate sauce.

The chasing wind carried the rich buttery aroma of the cake. Youan walked quickly in front, and Ye Wan chased after him carrying the cake.

"Princess Youan! Rapunzel! Don't run." She was so happy chasing with the cake in her hands that she didn't notice the gravel on the ground.

The cake fell to the ground with a "thump", and she was grabbed by the wrist and fell into an embrace filled with a cold fragrance.

Ye Wan could feel his heartbeat in her chest, and she buried herself in his embrace, not daring to look up. "Wow, too much joy turns to sorrow. My poor cake! I haven't even taken a single bite yet. It's got lots of chocolate chips and blackberries in it. It must be delicious."

"Who should be blamed for this?" He still had a cold face and stared down at the bloody cake on the stall.

He looked up at Ye Wan. There was still some flour on her hands and her face was full of frustration.

Youan sighed, then squatted down, stretched out his slender fingers, scooped up the top layer that was not dirty with a spoon, and put it into his mouth.

The sweetness of strawberries and the richness of chocolate explode on the tip of your tongue.

He wiped the corner of his mouth with his fingertips. Ye Wan looked at him with emotion: "Hey! You An."

Her eyes were bright, like beautiful black pearls: "The corners of your mouth are stained red, just like the pale and handsome vampires in the movies!"

He turned around and left in anger.

Anyway, after many busy days in Honey Lane, Ye Wan arrived at Golden Goose Park with the invitation. "They say that the old leader, Hans, sits on a bench every afternoon to watch the sunset."

The evening glow spread across the park like honey. Old Hans was still wearing an old-fashioned suit, with a black veil hanging from the front of his hat, swaying slightly in the wind like a sighing pendulum.

His fingers kept stroking the scar on the armrest. In the distance, the lake was shimmering, and two swans were swimming leisurely on the water.

"Good day, Mr. Hans." Ye Wan walked forward quietly.

"Oh, it's you, the little girl from the East." He subconsciously pulled the veil on his face and said, "You'd better not get too close to me. I'm cursed by the goddess of misfortune."

"No, no, no, I'm here to invite you to the Carnival of the Dead." Ye Wan handed over a flyer made of rotten leaves with both hands. On it was written in large dark red letters:

Dear Guest,

We formally request that you come to the Honey Lane Backstreet Plaza for Shadowmoon Festival's Carnival of the Dead, where you'll find unlimited bat candy, bloody brain cakes, and one-eyed pies.

Dress code: This is a costume party, so please come in all kinds of fancy clothes.

Sincerely, Honey Lane Management Committee

"As you can see, this party calls for some quirky attire. Our bartender is going to dress up as a salamander, so having some guests with burn makeup is perfect."

Ye Wan said happily, turned around and took You An away. When they were about to leave the park, she waved to Old Hans: "There is a surprise! Be sure to come."

"You said... who wants to dress up as a fire salamander?" Youan gritted his teeth.

"Oh, of course it's you and me. I've asked Penny to sew the fire salamander doll costume for us." Ye Wan nodded towards the sky.

"I refuse." Youan said coldly, "I will never dress up as a fire salamander."

"Oh Youan, you are already very handsome. There is no need to worry about your appearance. I bet that even if you wear Cinderella's torn dress, you will be the focus of the party." Ye Wan said.

Old Hans took the letter back to his small home at the end of Flip Alley.

It was a simple one-bedroom apartment. The only elegant item was a paulownia wood wardrobe filled with costumes from old Hans's past performances.

His daily life is very simple: get up, eat breakfast, read the newspaper, go to the Golden Goose Park in the afternoon to daydream, and come back in the evening.

Hans was old and his eyesight was a little blurry. He lit a candle and read the invitation again.

Some wax dripped from the white candle.

Hans rubbed his eyes. "Oh, that's true. I haven't been to a carnival in many years..."

He looked at the photo on the table. His wife Anna was smiling at him in the photo. The flickering candlelight shone on the half-burned side of his face like a gentle kiss.

He stood up and picked out his best outfit from the wardrobe.

On the day of Shadow Moon Festival.

Old Hans put on his best purple velvet suit. There was no mirror in the room, so he had to touch his face several times with his hands, and then bent down to get the black veil.

His hand hesitated for a moment, then retracted.

Today, both sides of Honey Lane were filled with glowing blue flowers. Old Hans touched his burned face and walked in nervously.

Two half-grown children were walking towards him. He subconsciously tried to cover his face and was sweating all over from nervousness.

Unexpectedly, the two children looked at him calmly, then smiled and said, "Old man, the scar on your face is so cool."

Old Hans rubbed his wrist helplessly.

He soon understood why the scar on his face did not offend others.

Rather, he could be considered the most plain-looking person in the entire carnival. At the door, two maids dressed as zombies, with disgusting rotten flesh painted from legs to faces, were busy tying fluorescent wristbands on each guest's wrist. On the stage, several minstrels dressed as white ghosts were singing, and a bunch of skeletons were playing the violin and organ.

Ye Wan was carrying a bottle of Bloody Mary. She was wearing a fire salamander costume and was about to trip over her own tail several times. "Nice to meet you, Mr. Hans."

She pressed the Bloody Mary in her hand into Hans's. "There's another huge special coming up soon. I think you'll like it. Don't run away early. Oh, and this Bloody Mary has a really strong aftertaste. Drink it sparingly."

She held up her tail and skipped away.

This reminder was very useful, because Kiara had already finished three bottles of wine, and her strong arms were pinching Arthur's neck, wanting to become sworn brothers with him.

The prosthetic leg on her body was wrapped with colorful light strips, dazzling everyone's eyes.

Hans walked into the square. Many small vendors came towards him, waving and greeting him enthusiastically: "Hey, Hans, it's been many years. We are really looking forward to the performance of the Soul Dance Troupe."

Hans couldn't believe it. "What? A dance troupe performance?"

A silver-blue bonfire suddenly lit up in the middle of the square. A large bottle of scale powder was added to the fire, making the square look gloomy.

As the band on the stage played music, a team of knights in silver armor rushed out on horseback.

It was Leo's newly created "Waltz of Death". Along with the singing, the knights danced upside down on the stage.

People around were cheering: "My God, this is exactly the same as it was ten years ago."

Ye Wan stuffed a piece of one-eyed pie into Annie's hand. She was dressed as a little witch today, which suited her very well. "Thank you for the two horses you sent. I can't think of any other place to get horses except Green Sand Hill Farm."

Anne patted her shoulder happily. "Oh, it's okay. I'm also looking forward to seeing the Soul Dance Troupe perform again. You know, during the Shadow Moon Festival, the whole of Calmet would look forward to their arrival."

Hans shed tears after watching the performance. Many former members of the Undead Song and Dance Troupe came to comfort him: "Look, we are still the most popular song and dance troupe in the capital. Come back, old leader."

Ye Wan stood by the campfire, his arms folded in his doll costume, nodding his head as he watched the heartwarming scene unfold before him. "Great! This is exactly what I wanted."

She suddenly smelled a burnt smell, and Pancake stood on her shoulder, squeaking at her anxiously twice.

She turned and saw that the thick tail of her fire salamander doll was lifted by the campfire.

Ye Wan jumped up like a rabbit, then covered his butt: "Water! Water!"

Youan refused the doll costume and compromised by wearing a vampire costume. The moonlight just passed over his pale cheekbones and smoky crystal eyes.

He was very tall, with the silver-buckled boots unique to vampires draped over his slender legs, which made Euan look even paler and more handsome.

Several girls who came to the carnival asked him for the signal bird's number. The girls in the royal capital are warm and open-minded, and they are always bold in pursuing the boys they like.

Before they finished speaking, Youan glanced at the fire in the distance, picked up the flying broom from the corner, and flew away with a "whoosh".

He opened his arms and hugged Ye Wan who was jumping up and down, and then the two of them fell into the Holy Grail River next to Honey Lane.

Ye Wan lay on his lap: "Thank you...I almost got burned."

She thought he was going to be mean to her again, but this time Youan didn't say anything. He just reached out and rubbed her head: "It was a perfect carnival. You did a great job."

"Really?" She rolled off him excitedly, turned her head and said with a smile, "It's so rare to hear such compliments from you."

At this moment, fireworks bloomed in the sky. The dark blue fireworks tore through the clouds and exploded into thousands of tiny stars.

"It's so beautiful." Ye Wan looked up at the fireworks, and You An looked down at her.

The crowd was too noisy and the fireworks were too loud. She was so focused on watching the fireworks that she didn't notice that Youan was staring at her intently and said:

"You're still exactly the same as before."